Psychosemantic organization of cognition

Larysa Zasyekina (Volyn State University, Ukraine)

Email: slcd@privat-online.net

 

ABSTRACT:

The importance of intelligence as cognitive instrument of world representation has been increasingly recognized (see Vygotsky,1935/1994, Sternberg,1982, Toomela,2003). In this context, psychometric, cognitive, neurological and social-cultural approaches to intelligence research are represented. Nonetheless, psychometric, cognitive, neurological approaches omit the intelligence function of social adaptation; social-cultural approach highlights the function, but has not the effective methodological instrument of its investigation.

In our research the psycholinguistic approach to intelligence as cognitive instrument of world representation and social adaptation is proposed. In this view, intelligence is treated as individual capability of world reflection, generalization and transformation. Intelligence contains three main levels: social-cultural, meta-cognitive and cognitive-affective.

Furthermore, it is argued that word meaning serves as a descriptive category of a person’s intelligence organization. With a view to investigating the human intelligence through language unit–meaning, an integrated inquiry is proposed. Equipped with the integrated research framework, we have established that human intelligence comprises two important sides: psychometric (academic) and practical. Both of them can be investigated through the psycholinguistic approach, based on different types of word meaning. Psychometric intelligence is represented by frames, which can be measured by scientific concepts. Practical intelligence depends on scripts and schemata, which can be investigated through connotative, associative, and situational meaning. Connotative, associative, and situational meanings form the nature of life concepts.

The psycholinguistic approach to intelligence research seems to be rather fruitful, since word meaning represents the main characteristics of personal world reflection, generalization and transformation.