Personal subject in the contemporary world

Drawing on anthropological philosophy, the article describes the personal subjectas well as forms of manifesting the attributes of subjectivity by a typical person who lives in contemporary individual and liberal culture. The main attributes of the personal subject are: mental openness, with special emphasis on reflective consciousness, spiritual sensitivity, free will and transgression. It was observed that in the context of cultural changes the personal attributes sometimes adopt the form of their opposites, which manifests itself as a new/another constraint, avoiding reflection or actions motivated first and foremost by pragmatic factors.
 

Self-narrative as a method for researching self-creation

The article is a continuation of theoretical deliberations on self-creation presented in the earlier work (Jančina, Kubicka, 2014). It contains a detailed characteristics of this pheno­menon, assuming that the object of self-creation activities is the Self, in the sense of its cognitive representation named the Self, and more precisely – the identity of a person. I suggest introducing the concept of a complex self-creation competence, which consists of such detailed competencies as autobiographical knowledge (thinking), autonomy, creativity, transgression, defining and committing oneself to fulfilling long-term goals, and self-reflection. In addition, I search for an adequate method for researching these detailed competencies. The article also contains argumentation in favour of the analysis of the content of self-narratives as the most accurate me­thod of self-creation research as defined here. Therefore, McAdams’s life story model is presented, and a strong argument in favour of such a choice of the research method is given in the form of the deliberations of Zbigniew Pietrasiński, the author of the self-creation concept itself, who conducted research by analysing the biographies of well-known historical figures.
 

Attachment in adulthood and the quality of close relationships in the light of selected study results

The attachment theory is one of the more significant and empirically confirmed theories, which provides a relatively full explanation of the specificity of close relationships. Continuators of Bowlby (2007), while making a significant contribution to the development of research in this area, contributed to the knowledge of how people with variously shaped attachment styles function.
In the presented study we analyze relationships of attachment, with such variables as: emotional control, communication, preference as regards the partner, perception of the partner, as well as aggression and violence towards the partner.
This article presents empirical evidence that safely, confidently attached people (whose avoidance and anxiety level is low), have the ability to function in relationships, increasing the chance of success in a relationship and the sense of contentment of the partners. In contrast, individuals with insecure attachment patterns may be more likely to experience difficulty in a close relationship

The development of thinking in adulthood: ways of studying postformal reasoning in everyday situations

The article presents the results of two studies concerning the development of postformal reasoning as proposed by G. Lavouvie-Vief, with the use of the everyday problem solving dilemmas taken from the research conducted by R.A. Sebby and D.R. Papini in the Polish adaptation by E. Gurba. Study no. 1 tested the levels of reasoning in 3 age groups: early, middle, and late adulthood, providing the participants with a choice of readymade answers. Study no. 2 tested the levels of reasoning amongst the participants while using a modified version of the test which required giving an answer to an open question pertaining to the solution of a dilemma. Regardless of their age, the participants revealed a lower level of postformal reasoning in Study no. 2. Differences in the influence of spurious variables (sex, level of education) on the presented level of reasoning in the respective Studies were also observed. The discussion attempts to explain the observed differences with relation to the cognitive requirements of both methods of study as well as the form and content of the applied dilemmas

Questionnaire measurement of five personality traits in children and adolescents: A Polish adaptation of the Big Five Questionnaire – Children (BFQ-C)

The article presents the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Big Five Questionnaire – Children (BFQ-C; Barbaranelli, Caprara, Rabasca & Pastorelli, 2003). BFQ-C is a questionnaire measuring five personality traits (energy/extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional instability and intellect/openness) in late childhood and adolescence. Two versions of BFQ-C were used in the study: in the first one children and adolescents describe themselves, and in the second one other informants (parents and teachers) provide information about children and adolescents. The participants in the study were 1,241 children and adolescents (aged from 7 to 15 years), 226 parents, and 475 teachers. The reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha. The structural validity was assessed in a set of factor analyses. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed using a multitrait–multimethod matrix (five traits and two versions of BFQ-C) and analyzed in structural equation modeling. The external validity was assessed by inspecting the relations between the personality traits measured by BFQ-C and temperamental traits in the model proposed by Oakland, Glutting, and Horton (1996), as well as temperamental traits in the model by Buss and Plomin (Oniszczenko, 1997). Both reliability and all kinds of validity were at acceptable levels, which leads to the conclusion that BFQ-C can be used in scientific research
 

Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive and sports training: LEGO Mindstorms and the computer useful in improving intellectual functioning in children of school age

The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of working memory and attention training and sports training in improving intellectual functioning in children of school age. The participants of the study were pupils aged 10–12 (N=51). The DMI-2 Test in the group version for older kids (S) was used for diagnosis in pre- and posttest. Two groups participated in a cognitive training of two types: 1) a training based on computer cognitive tasks and mnemonics, 2) LEGO Mindstorms building and programming classes. The third group participated in sport (football) training. The training programmes lasted six weeks and included two 90-minute meetings per week. In the period between the pre- and posttest, all three training groups improved in terms of reasoning by analogy and refilling the system consisting of two similar pairs (class). However, only two groups: (1) using the computer cognitive tasks and (2) using LEGO bricks achieved significant changes in DMI-2 tasks involving completing 4-component systems (relations). The results can be used in designing training programmes for students with learning difficulties.

Recenzja: Paul Bloom (2015), To tylko dzieci.  Narodziny dobra i zła. Sopot: Smak Słowa

Sprawozdanie z konferencji: Autyzm. Od nauki do praktyki. 25–27 września 2015, Kraków