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Gregory Bedny Systemic-Structural Theory of Activity. According to the definition from the textbook General Psychology by Petrovsky (1986) activity is a combination of internal (cognitive) and external (behavioral) processes regulated by conscious goal.
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According to the definition from the textbook General Psychology by Petrovsky (1986) activity is a combination of internal (cognitive) and external (behavioral) processes regulated by conscious goal. • From systemic-structural perspective activity can be define as a goal-directed system where cognition, behavior and motivation are integrated and organized by the mechanism of self-regulation to achieving a conscious goal.
In Vygotsky’s view internalization involves social processes and semiotic mechanisms – language in particular. • According to Vygotsky, human higher mental functions are products of mediated activity. The role of mediator is played by psychological tools and means of interpersonal communication. Tools are the result of social-cultural and historical development. Tools socially determined practical actions and mental operations. This is how Vygotsky connected consciousness with human labor and practical activity.
Leont’ev stated that structure of cognitive processes more or less replicates the structure of external motor activity. Only at the end of his life he gradually changed his opinion. He wrote at this time “the process of internalization is not transfer of an external activity into internal plane of consciousness but it is the process in which this plane is formed.”
In opposition to Vygotsky Rubinshtein (1935) further stated that intellect can not be reduced merely to theoretical operations of conceptual thought. Practice and intellect are interconnected. Rubinshtein introduced basic principle of activity “the unity of consciousness and practical activity”. • Rubinshtein did not agree with Leont’ev idea of internalization. Rubinshtein emphasized the role of independent exploration and interaction with objective world as the source of our reflection and mental development. He stated that external influences always interact with internal mental conditions. Therefore external can not be directly transfered into internal.
Motor activity always contains cognitive components. Over the course of human development, the cognitive components of activity are gradually differentiated from external activity. At the first stage, mental activity can be performed only with the support of external activity. Only later mental activity can be performed independently. Thus, one can talk not about transformation of the external activity onto internal plane, but about the formation of internal components that at the first step can be performed in combination with external activity and later can be performed independently.
Action emerges as a major unit of analysis of activity. In contrast to notions of “processing” that emphasizes what happens strictly in the psychological domain, the concept of “action” connects theory to the practical domain in ergonomics and other applications. • Subject Tools Object • Subject Tools Subject
Systemic – Structural theory of activity • A system is a set of elements that is organized and mobilized around a specific purpose or goal. • In order to represent activity as a system it is necessary to outline its elements and describe their relationship. Activity as a system consists of smaller units such as cognitive and behavioral actions and operations and function blocks. Relationship between these units of activity presents structure of activity.
Activity is a multi-dimensional system. Consequently, we have different systemic representation of the same activity. This means that we have single object of study and several subjects of study. It is also important to distinguish object of activity and object of study, or subject of activity and subject of study. • Adequate descriptions of the same object of study can be represented by multiple, interrelated and supplemental models and languages of description.
Interdependent and supplemental presentations of the same object A X C B
Stages of systemic – structural analysis of activity Qualitative descriptive analysis Algorithmic analysis Analysis of time structure Quantitative analysis
Activity can be studied through individual-psychological and cultural-historic perspectives. The first approach considers Activity as an attribute of individual under which the individual is an agent of Activity. The second approach points toward a formulation of Activity, not only as an individual traits, but as normative standards of Activity that transcends separate individuals. • Within the systemic-structural theory of activity we can isolate different more narrow theoretical approaches: the cognitive approach, where the concept of process is central; the morphological approach, where mental and motor actions are the most important concept; and the functional approach, where the major concepts are self-regulation and function blocks.
Methods of activity study can be classified according to different criteria. Systemic-structural theory of activity outlines parametric and systemic methods of study. • Parametric method of study is concentrated on the study of different parameters of activity that are treated as relatively independent. For example cognitive task analysis can be considered as a parametric method because it is concentrated on study of separate cognitive processes. • There are also macro-structural and micro-structural analysis that determine the level of analysis.
Basic concepts • The logically organized system of motor and mental actions forms the structure of activity during task performance. Actions can be divided into operations. Therefore activity can be represented as hierarchically organized system. • Actions have a temporal dimension that begins when an individual accepts the goal of the action and is completed when the individual achieves the conscious goal of the action and evaluates the result of the action in terms of the established goal. Acceptance Information Evaluation of Input → or formation → processing & → Response → result and of Goal decision making (execution) correction
Subject is the individual or group of individuals that are engaged in activity. • Object of activity is a physical or mental product (image, mental sign) that is transformed or changed according to the goal of activity or action. • Goal of activity or action is cognitive representation of future desired result of actions or activity associated with motive. (I can imagine future result of events which do not depend on my own actions. This is not a goal). • Result of activity or actions is real activity accomplishment that can be compared with goal. • Standard style of performance is understood as methods of work activity that are prescribed by instructions. • Individual style of performance is the method of work activity which depends on individual features of personality and past experience.
Comparative analysisEngestrom Schema Mediated Artifacts Subject Object Outcome
Triangular Schema Schema according to Systemic-Structural Theory of Activity
In activity theory concept of goal differs from its understanding in the West. • A goal is conscious mental representation of humans’ own activity in conjunction with a motive. Goals are considered as cognitive, informational components of activity. In contrast, motives or motivation in general, are treated as energetic components of activity. Motive → Goal
Components of activity Motive → Method → Goal → Result Activity → Task → Action → Operation → Function Block
