The Correlation Of Concepts, Intelligence, Creativity And Copings In Russian Youth

Abstract

The relation of conceptual structures, intelligence, creativity and coping has not yet been the subject of a psychological research. Our study aimed to reveal interrelations between the features of the organization of the concept with intelligence, creativity and coping. A complex design was used in our research including assessment of IQ; creativity; copings; the semantic differential technique (stimulus word "potential"). Participants of the experiment were 408 students aged 18-24 years (mean 19, 32±1, 48) among them 79,2% of girls. We processed the data by mathematical and statistical approach: primary data that were collected from eligible respondents were subjected to be analyzed using linear regression. The findings revealed that the concept "potential" has considerable number of reliable interrelations both with indicators of the general abilities and with copings. It was shown that the maximum saturation of the concept with sensory-emotional features can lead to a decrease in the productivity of intellectual activity. It should be noted that the role of the considered indicators of concepts in efficiency of intellectual activity is slightly lower, than in creative activity. It was found that between the variable measures of differentiated participation of sensory-emotional features of the concept and indicators of copings there is quite close, but at the same time, multidirectional relationship. Thus, we may conclude that conceptual structures may act as the intermediary in relation to intelligence, creativity and copings. The finding of our research may be useful for solving the problem of human mental resources increasing through the development of conceptual thinking.

Keywords: Conceptsintelligencecreativitycoping strategiesconceptual thinking

Introduction

The terms "potential" belongs to international vocabulary and is widely used in Russian language. The study of potential, due to the rapidly changing geopolitical and social situation, is increasingly attracting the researchers’ attention from various fields of science such as social studies, philosophy, psychology etc. However, despite the wide range of studies devoted to the problem of potential, especially in the psychology of labour, mental resources and developmental psychology they are rather of a nature, aimed at expanding the ideas about the phenomenology of potential, which makes it difficult to collect, analyse and interpret the obtained results.

One of the ways to study human perceptions of a certain phenomenon of reality is the analysis of concepts (conceptual structures) as mental vector of ideas (Kholodnaya, 2002; Volkova, 2013a). Thus, the theory of certain mental structures (multidimensional representative cognitive structures in long-term memory) that underlie human psychological development including the development of intelligence, competence and creativity (Chuprikova, 2007; Kholodnaya, 2002; Vekker, 1976; Volkova, 2013a) is an urgent issue. Furthermore, there is a great number of studies devoted to the peculiarities of the organization and formation of mental structures "cognitive maps" (Tolman, 1948), "representation" (Chuprikova, 2007), "mental experience", "concept" (Kholodnaya, 2002), "core structure"(Sergienko, 2009).

From linguistic point of view, the concept (conceptual structures) is defined as an interdisciplinary phenomenon since it is used in the whole complex of sciences, including in different directions of linguistics; and has a complex and multi-dimensional structure Pimenova (2013).

In works of Russian psychologists, however, concepts are considered as a core factor in the structure of individual mental resources, that determines the intellectual productivity (Kholodnaya & Volkova, 2016). Concepts are ‘substratum’ of all mentioned types of conceptual abilities, a high level of formation of which is the basis of human intelligence (Vekker, 1976). Concepts take an active part in all forms of organization of mental experience, determining the peculiarities of the individual picture of the person’s world, arbitrary self-regulation of mental activity and peculiarities of his social behaviour (Chuprikova, 2007; Kholodnaya & Volkova, 2016; Vekker, 1976).

Popova and Sternin (2003) note that since the concept (conceptual structure) is formed based on a person's personal sensory experience, it initially arises on a subject-shaped, sensual basis as a certain empirical image of an object or phenomenon and has an individual subject-shaped character. The original content of the concept is complicated due to the knowledge gained because of other types of cognitive activity, i.e., "ac-quires" thought content, logical signs. As the level of abstraction increases, the concept gradually evolves from the sensory to the actual thinking.

In studies conducted by Kholodnaya (2002), the following structural components of the concept are distinguished: sensory-emotional experience of human inter-action with the subject environment, the peculiarities of verbalization of different-quality features of the concept and their relationship with each other, the specificity of object-visual cod-ing and fixation of subjectively significant markers.

Kholodnoya (2002) emphasizes that the analysis of these structural components of the concept allows to reconstruct in detail the representation of a person.

The theory of "embodied cognition" (embodied cognition theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1999), the theory of "embodied mind» (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991), the theory of "perceptual symbols» (Barsalou, 2009) draw a lot of attention nowadays. Lakoff and Johnson, (1999) believes that thinking is embodied in the sense that the conceptual categories that form our conceptual sys-tem “... originate from our sensory experience and are conceptualized in its terms; moreover, the core of our conceptual system is directly based on the perception of body movements and the experience of the physical and social nature.

In the independent empirical studies, the following pattern was also found: the higher the level of organization of conceptual structures (concepts), the higher the level of conceptualization, field dependence, intelligence and creativity, competence and success of professional activities (Kholodnaya, 2013; Kholodnaya & Volkova, 2016).

Problem statement

In the research of Kholodnaya (2002) devoted to the study of the relationship of intelligence, creativity and conceptual abilities revealed: the higher the level of organization of the concept (integral unit of conceptual abilities), the higher are the indicators of verbal, non-verbal creativity and intelligence. The empirical research of Volkova (2013a) confirmed, the data received by Kholodnaya (2002), but at the same time made clarifications: the emergence appearance of new ideas relates to the development of detailed-level concepts. Highly differentiated and integrated conceptual structures corresponding to the object of professional activity are the necessary basis for the manifestation of creativity in a particular field of professional activity. These structures are a systemic factor integrating the properties of a creative person as a whole (Volkova, 2013b).

The problem of coping behaviour is rather controversial nowadays. For instance, in the works devoted to the study of the regulatory role of general intelligence (intellectual abilities) in coping, very ambiguous relationship between the level of psychometric intelligence and coping strategies with a difficult life situation behaviour are presented (Kholodnaya, 2013; Kholodnaya & Volkova, 2016; Kryukova, 2004).

Thus, Sierralta (2002) studying the features of mental resources of the individuality in early adolescence noted that students with a high level of psychometric intelligence and high academic performance mainly choose a problem-oriented strategy of coping with difficult life situations, while S.A. Khazova (2014) provides different results: there are no links between the level of psychometric intelligence (in terms of IQ, "Cultural and independent intelligence test" R. Kettle), and that there is no predominant choice of any coping strategies.

A brief analysis of the literature sources shows that a key role in the distinguishing the relationship between intelligence, creativity and coping behaviour and can play conceptual structures.

Research question

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this empirical research is to identify the impact of indicators of conceptual structures (sensory-emotional signs) on variations of conceptual (categorical, generative abilities and ability to sort the words) abilities, as well as on variations of cognitive abilities (level of analytical intelligence) and on variations of creative abilities (verbal and non-verbal creativity), and on variations of indicators coping strategies in adolescence.

Research Methods

Findings

Conclusion

Apparently, the maximum saturation of the considered concepts with sensory-emotional experience can lead to a decrease in intellectual productivity. These findings are consistent with studies conducted by; Kholodnaya (2013) and Volkova (2011).

Comparison of the data presented in the tables shows that the sensory-emotional features of the concepts have significant effects on both the productivity of intellectual activity and coping strategies. However, the emotionally-evaluative features of the concept make the greatest contribution both to the productivity of intellectual activity and to variations of coping strategies.

Acknowledgments

The author expresses gratitude to A.Yu. Kalugin, S.A. Khazova and E.I. Gorbacheva for helping in gathering the data.

References

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