Influence of personality and social environment on thinking
The thought process of an individual is inextricably linked to the continuous continuum of the historical development of society as a whole. At the same time, systemogenesis of thinking (its formation during individual development) directly depends on upbringing and learning.
According to N.A. Ardamatsky's classification, personality traits determine an individual's approach to achieving goals. Three types of subjects are distinguished:
- Overestimating capabilities (prone to overconfidence) — ignore or underestimate real existing obstacles.
- Constantly doubting — unsure of themselves or others, and do not consider it appropriate to actively participate in solving problems.
- Avoiding difficulties — upon identifying a real or imaginary problem, immediately seek to transform the goal or switch to other thoughts.
How speech is formed: from emotions to words
At the initial stage of development, a child, much like animals, realizes their needs and their gratification through specific emotions. In the process of learning, these emotional states begin to be associated with specific words.
The process of acquiring the "Need — Word" connection is based on reinforcement imprinting, with motivation (the reflection of need) serving as the basis.
The evolution of expressing needs goes through three stages:
- Motor expression. The child uses crying, screaming, and gestures. These are highly informative signals for parents, who recognize and satisfy the need.
- Verbalization. With repeated gratification of the same type of need, it becomes associated with a word, and the child begins to express the request verbally.
- Complexification. Words appear in speech that reflect not only the basic need but also desires.
An important element of pre-speech development is babbling (practicing the reproduction of a series of consonant sounds). This is an innate ability. Later, through the mechanism of imitation (first actions, then speech), the acquired knowledge is consolidated.
Learning mechanisms and the action result acceptor (ARA)
The essence of learning lies in retrieving accumulated experience under the action of dominant motivation. This provides a qualitative leap: from passive imprinting of reality, a person transitions to an active impact on it.
The main physiological mechanism here is the anticipatory formation of the action result acceptor (ARA). During the learning process, language systemquants — sign units that are fixed in extensive structures by the principle of imprinting — are created in the brain.
The construction of a thought can be triggered in two ways:
- Endogenously — from within, based on the initial need and formed motivation.
- Exogenously — from without, when external influences force the mobilization of life experience from memory.
A huge role in learning (speech, music, sports) is played by prior instruction. It is "imprinted" in the ARA structures, creating an information model of cognitive activity. When a need arises, this model is anticipatorily activated. During the execution of the action, the actually achieved result is constantly compared with this model (standard) via feedback afferentation. In case of discrepancies, thought and behavior are restructured.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
Which specific cortical centers are involved in the formation of speech systemquants?
The sources do not provide a list of specific cortical centers explicitly named as participants directly in the formation of speech systemquants. It is indicated that during the learning process, language systemquants are created — sign systems that encompass extensive structures of the brain based on the imprinting mechanism.
The following cortical structures are separately named in the sources for speech realization and perception:
- Wernicke's area — the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus of the dominant, usually left, hemisphere; participates in creating the semantic structure of an utterance and analyzing heard sounds with their attribution to words.
- Broca's area — the inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere; forms the vocalization program.
- Facial areas of the motor cortex — receive impulses from Broca's area and participate in developing motor programs for the speech musculature.
- In written speech, impulses from Broca's area are directed to the motor representations of the right or left hand.
- Angular gyrus — processes visual and somatic information during speech perception.
- Insular cortex — activated during simple word repetition.
What types of feedback afferentation are involved in the mechanism of correcting speech activity?
Four main channels of feedback afferentation are involved in the mechanism of correcting achieved results with the action result acceptor. These include:
- Acoustic channels;
- Visual channels;
- Kinesthetic channels;
- Intracerebral mechanisms.
Each stage of thought and speech act realization is constantly evaluated and restructured using these feedback channels.
Through which neurophysiological mechanisms is the transition from babbling to purposeful word pronunciation carried out?
The transition from babbling to the verbal expression of needs and the reproduction of phrases is described in the sources through learning based on a motivational state and reinforcement imprinting.
Main mechanisms:
- Babbling is an innate activity and a precursor to speech reproduction.
- Emotional states begin to be associated with specific words.
- The word denoting the satisfaction of a need is acquired.
- A connection is established between the satisfaction of a need and surrounding people and one's own sensations.
- After repeated gratification of the same type of need and its association with a word, the child begins to express the need verbally instead of motor expression through gestures, screams, and crying.
- Imitation of speech is part of the systemic imprinting mechanism and reinforces acquired knowledge.
- During speech learning, imprinting of the informational speech properties of external objects occurs on the action result acceptors.
- As informational functional systems of mental activity are formed, the child begins to reproduce verbal phrases.
- During the learning process, language systemquants are formed — sign systems that characterize needs, the degree of their expression, methods of satisfaction, and the properties of the reinforcing result.
To memorize the stages of the evolution of need expression in a child, use the acronym VMC: Motor expression (crying) → Verbalization (word) → Complexification (adding desire).
Class and exam questions
What is babbling from a physiological perspective?
This is an innate activity involving the reproduction of a series of consonants, which serves as a precursor to speech. It is observed even in children with congenital deafness.
How does preliminary instruction influence the learning process?
Instruction forms an informational model of future action in the action result acceptor (ARA). Subsequently, actual results are constantly compared with this model using feedback afferentation for control and correction.
What factors determine the systemogenesis of mental activity?
Key factors include the awareness of internal needs and their satisfaction, verbal instructions, visual images of the surrounding reality, and memory mechanisms.
What else to study on this topic
- Types of subjects according to N.A. Ardamatsky in clinical practice
- Physiological mechanisms of dominant motivation
- The role of reverse afferentation in thought restructuring
- Mechanisms of imprinting in the formation of system quanta
- Comparison of endogenous and exogenous pathways of thought construction
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