Internet: Culture Diversity and Unification

Culture specifics of the Internet usage is analysed. The analysis done is a preliminary work for the application of the socio-historical theory of human mental development. The practice of the Internet usage is ambigious as it gives rise to both the unification and the diversity. The parameters analysed include the techniques of the hypertexts browsing,\ud and the status/position/rank of the communicators - its influence on holding the floor and turntaking rules, the ways the emotions are expressed while Internet communication, and the way the English language serves the functions of world-wide medium

Flow experience and interaction in online gaming. Comparative study of Russian and Chinese MUD players

Abstract. Flow experience (as introduced by M.Csikszentmihalyi) and patterns of\ud interactive behavior were investigated in an online surveys administered within\ud samples of Russian (N = 347) and Chinese (N = 133) online role-playing gamers.\ud Three main hypotheses were stated: (1) both Russian and Chinese MUD players\ud experience flow; (2) flow is positively correlated with interaction patterns for both\ud Russian and Chinese samples of MUD players; (3) patterns of flow experience\ud and interaction patterns characteristic for the Russian and the Chinese samples of\ud MUD players differ. All the hypotheses proved to be true. The following methods\ud of data analysis were used: comparative demography, path analysis, explorative\ud and confirmatory factor analyses. The paper presents the full results of the study\ud and justification of the hypotheses.\ud \ud <br />\ud <br />\ud \ud Résumé. L’expérience optimale (le ‘flow’, tel que l’introduit M.Csikszentmihalyi)\ud et les schémas interactifs de comportement ont fait l’objet d’une investigation\ud dans des études en ligne auprès d’un public engagé dans des jeux de rôle : Russe\ud (N=347) et Chinois (N = 133). On avance les hypothèses principales : (1) les\ud joueurs russes comme les chinois vivent une expérience optimale (2) le ‘flow’ est\ud corrélé positivement avec les schémas d’interaction pour les joueurs russes et\ud chinois (3) il y a des différences entre les Russes et les Chinois pour les schémas\ud de l’expérience optimale et les caractéristiques des interactions. Toutes les\ud hypothèses se sont avérées exactes. Nous avons utilisé les méthodes d’analyse\ud suivantes : comparaison démographique, analyse des choix opérés, analyse des\ud facteurs pour l’exploration et la confirmation. Cet article présente les résultats de\ud ces travaux et justifie les hypothèses

Contribution of Oleg K. Tikhomirov to the methodology, theory and experimental practice of psychology

The contribution of Oleg K. Tikhomirov (1933-2001), his disciples and representatives of Tikhomirov’s school in psychology of thinking is analyzed. Tikhomirov was the initiator of the Personal Meanings Theory of thinking, one of the leading schools of cognitive studies in Russia. Tikhomirov is known outside Russia as well: more than once, he presented his work at international congresses and conferences; his writings have been translated into several European languages. The paper includes brief biographical information about Tikhomirov. The main components of the Personal Meanings Theory are presented, such as the regulative function of (intellectual) emotions during problem solving, the actual genesis of goal-setting, the formation of personal meanings during the processes involved in thinking, and the personality-related determinants of decision making. Tikhomirov’s pioneering ideas in the studies of creativity, including jointparticipation in creative activities, are discussed in the paper. In the last section of the paper, Tikhomirov’s studies of the impact of information and communication technology on the psychological transformations undergone by adepts of high technologies and technology’s effect on their intellectual and communicative activities are discussed; these studies accelerated a new field of research in Russia, namely cyberpsychology or Internet psychology