Conscious control during the learning process, or

How to learn not to realize the obviousness

In this work the dependence of the parameters of the learning process on the presence/absence of a hidden regularity in the presentation of stimuli was studied. The task for mental alteration of additions and subtractions of digits pairs, exposed in the consecutive order was used as a main instruction for subjects The computer procedure which allowed to present stimuli in the given regularity and record time till response and correctness of the subjects’ answers was used. It was found out that in case of repeated presentation of the same regularity of arithmetic problems (e.g. “4+2”) subjects involuntary (and even unconsciously) memorize it, even though that there was no such a task for memorization, and it was hard to notice the regularity in their own, because of the big amount of stimuli which formed the regularity (16 pairs of digits). The data analysis showed that subjects who memorize the regularity coped with the main task more successfully than subjects of the control group where stimuli were presented in a random order.

It was concluded that the mistakes appeared during the process of well-automated performance (such as addition and subtraction of digits) are due to the interference of control operations exercised by the mechanism of consciousness, with main activity performance. On increasing the cognitive load of stimuli (in this case – due to the rigidly fixed sequence of pairs of stimuli presented) the consciousness’ control decreases, that in turn leads to the enhancement of efficiency of the main task performance.

M.G. Filippova

The study of unconscious perception
(on the polysemantic pictures material)

It’s known nowadays, that people process and store much more information, than they become aware of. Perception of polysemantic information can be seen as a particular case of the problem of unconscious perception. In given study double-meaning figures and incomplete pictures were used as polysemantic information. The study relies on original conception of consciousness, worked out by V.M. Allakhverdov. The method of priming is used, the core of which is interrelation between previous context and speed of identification of the following stimuli. The investigation confirm the supposition that if, while perceiving the polysemantic picture, the person becomes aware of only one of its meanings, he unconsciously perceives the second one also. During our investigation it was determined that the fact of unconscious perception itself can evoke the psychical interference (negative influence on the results of conscious activity). The evidence was received that psychical interference disappears after the moment subject become aware of previously undiscovered meanings. As an analogues there can be named the important role of awareness of inner (unconscious) conflicts, admitted in psychotherapy.

V.A. Gershkovich

Ignore process as method of consciousness

Work with information

Forgetting is usually understood as passive involuntary processes. In given article the possibility of active forgetting and process of dealing with information, which is prohibited (consciously ignorable information) is analyzed. Concurrent execution of two tasks – task for memorizing and ignore task – is examined. In our experiments conducted by modified distinctive forget instruction method of studying directed forgetting, we received results, which allowed to look differently at the processing inhibited information during performing learning and memorization tasks. Subjects were presented with the list of numerical stimuli, after each of them the special cue was presented, indicating that stimulus is either to be remembered or to be ignored. That was followed by test-phase, where identification of previously memorized stimulus was examined. The control group was instructed to learn all the presented stimuli, taking into account the cue, presented after the stimulus. It was found out that there was no influence of presence of ignorable information on memorizing and learning process. There was no interference between memorized and ignored stimuli during task performing. These results allowed supposing that ignorable information is processed automatically.

Y.A. Ledovaya

How do irrelevant parameters of information

help memorizing

The series of experiments were aimed to reveal the influence of the irrelevant parameters of the information (id est, the characteristics that do not act as purposeful ones while processing this information) on the quality of memorizing this information and the quality and quantity of the errors that occur during the memorizing process. It was assumed that changes in the irrelevant characteristics of the memorized information as well as the latent regularity within it would help to avoid reccuring errors during memorizing and would make for productive changes in the erroneous hypotheses which are often generated by the consciousness.

In the experiment five-digit numbers that were divided with the help of two hyphens with the different regularity were to memorize. It was shown that the presence of the irrelevant structure in information makes the memorizing process more or less successful depending on the type of this latent structurization

E.Y. Voskresenskaya