Modeling as a research method in modern psychology. The concepts of "model" and "modeling" in psychology

Psychological modeling Etymology.

Comes from the Greek. psyche - soul + logos - doctrine and lat. modulus - sample.

Reconstruction of mental activity in laboratory conditions to study its structure.

This is done by providing the subject various means that can be included in the activity structure. As such means, along with other things, various simulators, layouts, diagrams, maps, video material are used.

Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000 .

PSYCHOLOGICAL MODELING

(English) psychological modeling) - a method that reproduces a certain mental activity with the aim of researching or improving it by simulating life situations in laboratory setting. To create a model of a life situation, simulation devices are often used. In particular, modeling devices for didactic purposes are presented simulators various types and audiovisual aids (layouts, maps, television and film installations). For scientific research, in addition, simulating devices (stimulators) are used for research abilities individual, performance man-machine systems etc. The purpose of these devices is to simulate a certain labor, sports, etc. situation in which the subject is included, and to record the behavior of the subject in this situation. Cm. .

Big psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .

See what "psychological modeling" is in other dictionaries:

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Modeling in psychology ( Englishmodeling in psychology) - application of the modeling method in psychological research. It develops in 2 directions: 1) symbolic, or technical, imitation of mechanisms, processes and results of mental activity - modeling of the psyche; 2) organization, reproduction of a particular type of human activity by artificially constructing the environment for this activity (for example, in laboratory conditions), which is commonly called psychological modeling.

Modeling the psyche is a method of studying mental states, properties and processes, which consists in building models of mental phenomena, in studying the functioning of these models and using the results obtained to predict and explain empirical facts. According to the completeness of the reflection of the object in the model, the following classes and subclasses of models of the psyche can be distinguished: sign (figurative, verbal, mathematical), software (rigidly algorithmic, heuristic, block diagram), real (bionic). Such a sequence of models reflects a gradual transition from a descriptive imitation of the results and functions of mental activity to a material imitation of its structure and mechanisms.

The modeling of the psyche is closely connected with the problem of artificial intelligence and the construction of complex control information and computers and systems. Work on the modeling of the psyche is carried out not only in psychology, but also in related areas - bionics, cybernetics, computer technology, computer science, synergetics. The first successes in modeling the psyche were achieved in the middle of the 20th century. based on digital and analog computing technology.

The current level of knowledge about mental activity makes it possible to expand research widely only at the first steps of approaching the model to the object, therefore, sign (in particular, mathematical) and program (in particular, heuristic) models are currently the most developed. With their help, it was possible to imitate some aspects of such processes and properties of the psyche, such as perception, memory, learning, logical thinking, etc. The first attempts are being made to build material - hypothetical and bionic - models of mental activity.

Psychological modeling of thought processes

The problem of thinking modeling has been studied in the world for a long time, however, despite the large flow of (mostly applied) work, the field of artificial intelligence is now experiencing a significant crisis and the opinion is increasingly expressed that there is no general concept of thinking and the need to create it. The construction of a thinking model as a behavior control mechanism that provides thinking systems with the possibility of autonomous existence in a wide class of changes in environmental conditions is one of the main areas of work of the sector.

Since behavior is built on the basis of laws and rules stored in memory, which allow, through analysis, inference and other transformations of input information, to make decisions, i.e. find unknown paths to goals, form actions, predict changes, etc., and not all laws are known in advance, then learning becomes a necessary step, i.e. search for laws based on observations, proposition and testing of hypotheses.

It is with training that the main problems of modeling thinking are associated, one of which is that in the initial descriptions of situations, the number of characteristics associated with hypotheses is extremely large, which is why the so-called “combinatorial explosion” occurs, when enumeration and testing of hypotheses become practically unrealizable. It is necessary to reduce the dimension of the original descriptions. The second problem is related to the fact that with a randomly chosen language for representing hypotheses, most of them, having passed the test on a finite set of examples, will remain unreliable, i.e. on new examples will not be performed. The only possibility is the use of a language that was initially consistent with the structure of the world.

Such a language is being developed. The basis of the language is the concept of the object of space - time. Representations of objects, their parts, motion trajectories, processes, etc. can appear as objects. Each object and each part of it has its own canonical space-time basis, in which its description is given.

Algorithms for processing input information and the architecture of associative memory are coordinated with the structure of the language, which provide the processes for the formation of concepts and laws and their use in decision making.

Algorithms are designed for a high degree of parallelization of calculations. M.N. Weinzweig and M.P. Polyakova constructed a theoretical model of associative memory that allows, invariant to local transformations of bases and previously found laws, to establish a partial correspondence between input and memory patterns, recognize objects of input patterns and their individual parts, and build an invariant prediction of the nearest contrasting events.

With parallel implementation, the execution of these processes is provided in real time.

As one of the tasks on which the model is debugged and corrected, the actions of the system in the world of moving objects are considered, where the laws of friction, impact and reflection, the interaction of masses, charges, etc. take place. The goals of the system are to perform in certain places space-time situations with given properties.

With learning, there is a gradual expansion of the class of situations in which the possibility of achieving goals is provided.

The study of the processes of thinking makes it possible to model them with the help of a computer. Simulation of thinking processes, on the one hand, opens up prospects for creating machines that solve various problems. On the other hand, the use of modeling methods contributes to a deeper study of mental processes. Therefore, the computer program, acting as a model of some aspects of mental activity, is both a means of research and a means of automating mental work.

Modeling of individual aspects of human thinking can be implemented on the basis of heuristic computer programs (heuristic programming). They consider human behavior as a complex information system from a psychological standpoint. The goal is to build a model system whose behavior in the selected situations would correspond to human behavior. Such a model should solve problems using the same methods, methods and techniques of information processing that a person uses. On this path, the problem of studying algorithms for processing information by a person arises, as well as the problem of studying human heuristics, i.e., ways of solving problems by a person.

Heuristic machine models are created as follows. By means of an experimental study of human behavior in solving problems of the selected type, the most characteristic techniques and methods of solution are revealed. On this basis, a hypothesis is put forward about algorithms that describe the selected type of human activity. To test the hypothesis, its model is built (in the form of a computer program) and the behavior of the model and the person is compared when solving problems of this class. The matching results are used to correct the hypothesis and the model itself.

To build a model, a number of methods have also been developed with the help of which a computer can solve a given problem if its algorithm is not known in advance. These heuristic methods include: finding the right solution from a certain set by enumeration; limiting the enumeration of options due to the identification of objects of study by a certain set of their features; learning the search strategy machine based on fixed experience; reduction of search by advance planning; finding patterns in the initial data (induction). The number of these methods can be increased, and each of them includes its own sub-methods.

Thus, heuristic programming is based on two points: on the reconstruction of some intellectual human actions and on the analysis of the specific properties and features of the object in relation to which programming is carried out. Interesting results have been obtained in the field of practical use of heuristic computer programs.

The created programs can be divided into two classes.

The first class includes programs based on the hypothesis about the general mechanisms of the process of solving problems. A feature of such programs is their generalized nature, the possibility of solving a wide class of problems on their basis. These include, for example, the General Problem Solver (GPS) program. The overall nature of the program is due to the fact that it consists of separate parts, each of which takes into account certain factors. The basis of the RRP is the core of the program, which consists of an executive algorithm and an arsenal of heuristic methods for formulating, evaluating and solving certain problems. The program works in the following basic concepts: objects (geometric shapes, symbolic logic expressions, etc.) and methods for transforming these objects (operators) that change the state of objects, their properties and differences between them. The RRP may operate in any environment in which a collection of objects can be defined and in which these objects can be transformed or combined into other objects by applying recognizable "operators" or transformation rules.

The second class includes programs created on the basis of observation and analysis of any specific activity and capable of solving problems that arise precisely in this activity. An example is a program for solving the problem of optimal distribution of operations between workers on a conveyor. This program was created on the basis of an analysis of the mental activity of engineers - organizers of production.

Concluding the general description of heuristic computer programs, it should be emphasized that they use a simplified problem model with a limited enumeration of options, but without a full guarantee of obtaining the optimal solution. The considered programs are still far from human heuristics. In fact, they solve not a creative mental problem, but a simpler labyrinth problem with known search areas, initial conditions, and the final goal. To develop new algorithms in the course of solving, the method of enumeration of options (trial and error) is used, but with a known reduction. Only certain aspects of human mental activity are modeled. The main way to optimize the considered programs is to bring them closer to human heuristics, features of the conceptual model formed by a person.

More fully the features of human thinking are taken into account when developing the method of situational management. The method is designed to automate control processes and is based on the psychological study of the operator's thinking. As a result of research, it has been established that the process of solving an operational problem is not so much the choice of one option from several possible ones (as is customary in heuristic computer programs), but the formation of an option leading to a solution. This principle is used in the method of situational management. Its essence lies in the fact that the computer builds within itself a system of relations or a model of a control object, and a further control strategy is formed on the basis of the dynamics of this model.

The method of situational management, being the result of psychological studies of the process of solving problems, can perform a dual function. On the one hand, this is a way to build programs that allow you to automate such management processes that before its creation could not be transferred to a computer or were not automated. in the best way. On the other hand, such a method can be considered as a mathematical tool for describing the real mental activity of an operator in the process of solving complex problems of operational control. All this allows a new approach to solving the problem of the distribution of functions between a person and a computer in a control system, since the application of the method allows the machine to transfer the solution of many tasks that until recently were available only to a person.

To date, the method of situational management has been introduced at a number of enterprises in our country. Moreover, wherever it was introduced, a significant economic effect was obtained.

Of great interest are also computer programs for modeling mental processes, the construction of which is based on the concept of logical-psychological coordinates (LPC). These programs are based on the so-called operator-gnostic model of thinking. It is based on two hypotheses: the position on the "single-channel" consciousness and the "multi-channel" of visual-content intuition and the position on incompatibility in the conscious part of the intellect of the operator (associated with the performance of operations) and the logical-psychological (conceptual) components of the thought process.

The central element of the operator-gnostic model is the LPC, which includes both heuristic and logical-algorithmic components. Logical-psychological coordinates are at the same time a condition for cognition of the corresponding mental mechanisms, and a way to develop "psychological" support for computers and automated control systems. On the basis of experimental psychological studies, the role of the LPK is analyzed, by which a person, being in a problem situation, is guided in his activities. The identified CLPs are then used to optimize computer programs.

The considered approaches to the creation of machine models of mental activity are an integral part of a broader scientific direction known as "artificial intelligence" and engaged in the creation of machine systems for solving complex problems. At the same time, the imitation of natural intelligence is not put forward as a prerequisite. The main thing is that computer programs should produce results similar to those obtained by a person. Therefore, in the general case, work in the field of artificial intelligence is aimed not so much at modeling the essence of cognitive processes, but rather at automating complex forms of activity - automation, for which a description of a person's external behavior is sufficient.

As is known, in psychology and cybernetics there are three levels of similarity between human thinking and computer programs:

■ similarity of results;

■ similarity of general methods and techniques;

■ similarities between the sequences of individual operations and the details of the solution.

Works in the field of artificial intelligence are mainly focused only on the similarity of results. In the psychological directions of these works (heuristic computer programs, situational control methods, etc.), moreover, attempts are made to obtain similarity in methods, techniques, and the sequence of performing individual operations. However, these attempts are extremely limited, so there are fundamental differences between human intelligence and its machine counterparts (artificial intelligence).

social psychology

UDC 316.6.001.57 BBK Yu95

MODELING METHOD IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Yu.A. Dmitrieva, V.G. Gryazeva-Dobshinskaya

The relevance of using modeling in social psychology as a method of general scientific level is considered. The concepts of "model" and "modeling" are revealed in the context of scientific research in social psychology. The features of the modeling method in socio-psychological research are analyzed: the use of a visual, demonstration basis; obtaining new knowledge by inference by analogy; establishing a homomorphism or isomorphism relationship between the model and the original. A variant of the classification of types of modeling in social psychology, created on the basis of studying the used modeling tools, is presented.

Key words: model, modeling, modeling method in social psychology, classification of modeling types in social psychology.

The modeling method is actively used in scientific knowledge and in various areas of practical activity of people. It is used at all stages of research in both the natural sciences and the social and humanitarian spheres. Its universality and belonging to the methods of the general scientific level are noted, while the specifics of the modeling method in each field of knowledge are emphasized.

AT social sciences the modeling method began to be applied in the first half of the 20th century, and the intensity of its use is constantly increasing. The situation at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries is characterized by the presence of dynamic and multidirectional changes in all spheres of human life. The problem of human adaptation in a complex changing world is becoming relevant. In particular, in socio-psychological studies of small groups, teams, collectives, the problems arise of predicting an effective direction for the development of activities in conditions of uncertainty and planning optimal programs for the selection and training of personnel. It seems possible to solve such problems of socio-psychological research using the modeling method, which makes it possible to reach a qualitatively new level of research on socio-psychological phenomena.

It is obvious that in modern conditions it is required to determine the specifics of the application

the method of modeling in social psychology, the identification of its features and capabilities in the study of various socio-psychological phenomena. Based on the analysis of the features of the application of the modeling method in social psychology, a classification of types of modeling is proposed.

The concepts of "model" and "modeling" in social psychology

AT modern science the concept of "model" is interpreted in different ways, and such ambiguity of this concept makes it difficult to determine its features and create a unified classification of models. It is advisable to consider the main interpretations of the concept of "model" in science in general and in social psychology in particular.

The term "model" (from the Latin "modelium" - measure, image, method) is used to refer to an image (prototype) or a thing that is similar in some respect to another thing. As a consequence, the term "model" in the context of scientific research is used to refer to an analogue of any object, phenomenon or system that is the original when using the modeling method. A model is understood as a mentally represented or materially realized system that displays or reproduces a set of essential properties and is capable of replacing an object in the process of cognition.

In accordance with the general scientific interpretation of this term, a model in social psychology will be understood as a natural or artificially created phenomenon intended for the study of socio-psychological phenomena.

The term "modeling" is used to denote the scientific method, which consists in the implementation of various procedures associated with the model (creation, transformation, interpretation), and for its disclosure such categories as "imitation", "reproduction", "analogy", "reflection" are used. » . Universal, fully revealing the meaning of this concept, in our opinion, is the following formulation. "Modeling is ... an indirect practical and theoretical study object, in which not the object of interest to us is directly studied, but some auxiliary artificial or natural system (model): a) which is in some objective correspondence with the object being known; b) capable of replacing it with certain stages cognition and c) which, in the course of research, ultimately gives information about the modeled object itself.

In psychology, from the whole variety of definitions of the term “modeling”, the following most frequently encountered definitions can be distinguished, which maximally reflect the whole versatility of this concept. First, modeling as a form cognitive activity including thinking and imagination. Secondly, modeling as a method of cognition of objects and phenomena through their models. Thirdly, modeling as a process of direct creation and improvement of any models.

Accordingly, in social psychology, the modeling method will be understood as an indirect practical and theoretical study of a socio-psychological phenomenon (object, process, etc.) with the help of some artificially or naturally created system (model).

Based on the analysis of the use of the modeling method, its features were identified as a method of cognition, including as a method of cognition of socio-psychological phenomena:

1) the use of a visual, demonstration basis;

2) obtaining new knowledge by inference by analogy;

3) establishment of homomorphism or isomorphism relations between the model and the original.

The main results of the analysis of approaches to the use of the modeling method in social psychology can be presented as follows.

The first feature of the modeling method in social psychology is the presence of a visual, demonstration basis.

In models of socio-psychological phenomena, geometric shapes and graphic schemes are used for clarity. So, the basis of A. Maslow's model of motivation is the "pyramid of needs", in the model of the cognitive balance of interpersonal relations P-O-X, proposed by F. Haider to describe the processes of social perception and interpersonal relations, the "triangle of interpersonal relations" is used, and in management models interpersonal relationships G. Kelly, J. Thiebaud use "matrices of interdependence" .

A visual basis for modeling cognitive processes is cognitive maps (within the framework of the general psychological approach), which, within the framework of the general psychological approach, are the technology of the subjects' work with information and visualize the image of the spatial organization of the external world. In social psychology, a variant of cognitive maps is used - "mental maps" as a technique for stimulating group creative thinking and social creativity.

Another version of the cognitive map is a graph used in various areas of socio-psychological research. For the first time, graph theory for studying objects of social psychology was used in the school of K. Levin, in which the key category "dynamic field" was considered as an integral self-organizing system. Graphs were used to study the structure of a dynamic field through the representation of relationships between individuals within a group and the dynamics of their changes. Later, graph theory was used by social psychologists in the study of interpersonal relationships in small groups through a graphical presentation of the results of sociometry and referentometry studies. In domestic psychology, graphs are used in the stratometric concept of small groups by A.V. Petrovsky for

representation structural levels interpersonal relationships.

The second feature of the modeling method in social psychology is the acquisition of new knowledge about an object by inference by analogy.

Inference by analogy is the logical basis of the modeling method. The legitimacy of the conclusion made on this basis depends on the researcher's understanding of the nature of similar relationships, their significance in the modeled system. Understood in this context, modeling is associated with generalization, the abstraction of the researcher from some properties of the prototype. However, with this option, the ascent to the abstract will inevitably be associated with the simplification and coarsening of the prototype in some respects, which are used in its modeling.

One of the forms of analogy is metaphor, which was the very first sensory-visual basis of the modeling method. Thus, when analyzing various types of organization, G. Morgan uses the scientific metaphors of "machine", "organism", "brain" and "culture" ("bureaucratic organization as a machine", "self-developing organization as a living system", "self-learning organization as a brain" , "organization as a cultural system"). Symbolic interactionism refers to a "dramatic" metaphor ("the theater as an analogue of life"). In particular, I. Hoffman, considering the social role interaction of people in line with "social dramaturgy", uses precisely theatrical terminology.

The third feature of the modeling method in social psychology is the establishment of isomorphism and homomorphism relations between the model and the original.

Modeling with the establishment of relations of isomorphism and homomorphism is a rarer method in social psychology, since its use is based on the application of a mathematical apparatus.

Systems are recognized as isomorphic if a one-to-one correspondence exists or can be established between their elements, functions, properties and relationships. An example of an isomorphic model is the structure of integral individuality developed by V.S. Merlin to analyze the nature of property relationships various levels integral individuality (including its socio-psychological

and socio-historical levels). Psychologists of the Permian school have repeatedly confirmed the one-to-one correspondence between the model of integral individuality and the results of empirical research.

In social psychology, the relationship of isomorphism between the model and the original can be found in those studies in which, in one form or another, statistical distributions of the frequencies of occurrence of certain socio-psychological phenomena are presented. Thus, the variability of the characteristics of the socio-psychological properties of a person, studied using psychodiagnostic methods (CPI, 16PF, NEO FFI, etc.), obeys the laws of normal distribution. Indicators of the socio-psychological properties of a personality that are average in terms of the level of severity are most common, and the minimum and maximum are much less common. This is the basis for the standardization of psychodiagnostic methods. However, other patterns may also occur. In particular, in studies of the dynamics of the properties of an individual and a group under the influence of film works, a hyperbolic distribution of the frequencies of the manifested effects is found: after experimental influences, a minimum number of strong, specific for each artwork impact effects and maximum amount- weak, non-specific effects.

Homomorphism is a more general and weaker relationship between the original and the model, since at least one of the three conditions is not met: the correspondence of elements, the correspondence of functions, the one-to-one correspondence of properties and relations. However, the preservation of homomorphic relationships is considered sufficient for the use of the modeling method in social psychology.

The relationship of homomorphism between the original and the model can be found in the study of the evolution of artistic styles and trends in the development of artistic communication. In particular, V. Petrov postulates the principle of the evolution of artistic styles, which is expressed in the periodic change in the public's priority of analytical and synthetic styles and the aesthetic preferences of these styles. The dynamics of changes in the priority of artistic

styles is imprecise sinusoidal. Similarly, the homomorphic relationship between the original and the model can be seen in the study of trends in the development of artistic communication, manifested in a gradual increase (with constant fluctuations) in the density of information in different types art over time.

In general, the modeling method has become an integral part of scientific research in social psychology. An analysis of the specifics of the use of this method in social psychology allows us to conclude that some features of its application appear frequently, while others appear less frequently. The most common applications of the modeling method in socio-psychological research are the figurative, visual presentation of new concepts, the establishment of similarity relationships with already studied phenomena, as well as a generalized presentation of the results of empirical research in areas where there are a large number of different approaches. Much less often in the description of the results of a socio-psychological study, the establishment of relations of isomorphism and homomorphism between the model and the original is encountered, since this requires the use of a mathematical apparatus and statistical data processing in the modeling process.

Classification of types of modeling in social psychology

In the scientific literature, various options for classifying the types of modeling have been proposed, and it should be noted that there is no single classification due to the ambiguity of the very concept of “model”. The variety of classifications is due to the possibility of their implementation on various grounds: by the nature of the models, by the method of modeling, by the nature of the objects being modeled, by the type of models created, by their areas of application and levels of modeling, etc. .

In social psychology, it is advisable to analyze the possibilities and scope of one of the existing classifications of types of modeling based on the idea of ​​the variety of means used. According to this classification, modeling is divided into two large classes: material (substantial) modeling and ideal modeling.

Material (substantial) modeling is based on the material analogy of an object and its model. When building these models, allocate functional characteristics(spatial, physical, behavioral, etc.) of the object under study, and the research process itself is associated with a direct material impact on the object.

Accordingly, in the material models of socio-psychological phenomena, it is necessary to model one type of group activity through another. This type of modeling in social psychology includes those developed by Ya.L. Moreno psychodrama and sociodrama, which include playing real situations in therapeutic groups to develop the creative potential of a person and expand the possibilities of adequate behavior and interaction with people. This type also includes modeling of real joint activity through playing situations in socio-psychological training using a cybernometer, developed by

N.N. Obozov.

Perfect Modeling is based on a conceivable analogy between the object of study and the model and is divided into intuitive modeling and sign (formalized) modeling. Intuitive modeling consists in reflecting the surrounding world and is based on an intuitive idea of ​​the object of study and the creation of a mental image. This type of modeling is used most often at the beginning of the process of cognition of the object of modeling or to study objects with very complex system relationships.

In social psychology, appeals to intuitive modeling can be found in studies of group decision-making and in studies of the practical intelligence of managers. In organizational psychology, this type of modeling includes building a common vision of the organization, creating a model of the future through anticipation of upcoming events or socio-psychological phenomena.

Sign modeling is the study of the object and the acquisition of new knowledge through logical or mathematical inferences from the initial description of the model. This type of modeling is used in those cases

teas, when a strict formalization of the available data is necessary and the similarity theory is not applicable. In the process of sign modeling, diagrams, graphs, formulas are used, which are directly models of this method. Sign modeling is divided into two types depending on the modeling method and the means used: mathematical modeling and computer modeling.

Mathematical modeling is a method of studying a real object, process or system by replacing them with a mathematical model that expresses quantitative and qualitative characteristics using mathematical terms and equations. This modeling method is used when for some reason it is impossible to conduct an experiment. Some socio-psychological processes, such as decision-making in elections or the distribution of votes, are determined by researchers entirely in mathematical terms.

Based on the analysis of the application of mathematical modeling in socio-psychological research, four variants of the most common mathematical models in social psychology can be distinguished. Such mathematical models of socio-psychological phenomena have different mathematical foundations: systems of linear or differential equations, apparatus of probability theory, systems of nonlinear equations; theory of self-organization and synergetics.

Within this classification, the following models can be considered social behavior: model of social behavior L.F. Richardson (or the arms race model) based on a system of linear equations; a model of social behavior based on game theory and the apparatus of probability theory; model of social behavior

E. Downes, based on systems of nonlinear equations; models for describing nonlinear socio-psychological processes based on the theory of self-organization of complex systems and synergetics. The following is a more detailed analysis of the application of the simulation method for each of these models.

Mathematical modeling based on a system of linear equations. As already mentioned above, this type of mathematical modeling includes the use of

whether the social behavior of L.F. Richardson (“arms race model”), which takes into account the action of three factors: the presence of a military threat, the burden of spending and past grievances between any two states. Such a model represents a class of dynamic models that model the development of some process in time and have the ability to predict the future. By the end of the 1970s, Richardson's model had been repeatedly experimentally confirmed on different options arms race and proved to be most effective in cases of short-term forecasts.

The mathematical apparatus based on a system of linear equations is used, in particular, to predict the activity of managers in innovation and to identify the optimal socio-psychological impacts to improve its efficiency. On the basis of psychological diagnostics, the role activity of managers, which is significant for the introduction of innovations, is modeled.

Mathematical modeling based on game theory and the mathematical apparatus of probability theory. This type of mathematical modeling is the most common in social psychology and is a systematic approach that provides an understanding of the behavior of players in situations where their successes and failures are interdependent. "Games" within the framework of this theory are situations in which two or more participants make a choice of their actions, and the gain or loss of each participant depends on the joint choice of both (all).

Game theory has previously been considered on the material of one type of competition, which has been called the "zero-sum game". The condition of this type of game is the principle "how much one player wins, the other player loses the same amount." However, most socio-psychological situations are variants of non-zero-sum games (or "cooperative games"), in which both players under certain conditions can win. In political psychology, the "prisoner's dilemma" is the best studied cooperative game. In social psychology, such a model is used to control the implementation of contracts, decision-making and to determine the optimal behavior in

competitive situations with different numbers of participants.

Mathematical modeling based on a system of nonlinear equations. This type of mathematical modeling includes the model of E. Downes, designed to study phenomena in political psychology. The simplest option graphical representation of the model of E. Downes is a bell-shaped curve in the Cartesian coordinate system, expressing ideological positions. This model explains the correlation of the ideological positions of the candidates in the general elections and the change in their positions between the primary and re-elections.

Mathematical modeling based on the theory of self-organization and synergetics. This type of mathematical modeling includes models designed to study open nonlinear dissipative systems that are far from equilibrium. Most of the objects studied by social psychology are such systems. The imbalance of socio-psychological phenomena lies in their irregular behavior, manifested in spontaneous activity, in the active nature of perception, in the choice of a goal by an individual or group.

Systems in which self-organization occurs are complex and have a large number of degrees of freedom (possible directions of development). Over time, dominant development options are identified in the system, to which the rest “adjust”. The development of nonlinear systems is multivariate and irreversible. To control such a system, it is necessary to act on it at the moment when it is in a state of extreme instability (called the bifurcation point). Thus, as new priorities of the modern picture of the world, synergetics introduces the phenomenon of uncertainty and multivariate development, the idea of ​​the emergence of order from chaos.

In social psychology, an example of models based on the theory of self-organization is the "prison riot model". On the mathematical apparatus of the theory of self-organization, the “model for developing a unanimous opinion” is based in the study of organizational behavior and decision-making processes. This type of mathematical modeling includes modeling the effects of personal dynamics after artistic

influences, including investigating the most unstable catastrophic states of subjects .

Computer modeling is a method of studying complex systems and phenomena using their computer model. This method is implemented in the form of algorithms (strictly formulated sequential instructions) used to create software tools. This type of modeling makes it possible to facilitate the study of complex processes and phenomena with the help of large systems of equations that cannot be solved by algebraic means.

In social psychology, computer modeling is used in the study of extensive socio-psychological processes (for example, mass behavior, changes in the mood of the masses) or in the study of situations associated with the processing of a large amount of information (for example, learning processes).

Examples of computer models for the study of socio-psychological phenomena are the SearchMan program, designed for computer experiments on choosing a spouse; the FAMILY program, which makes it possible to carry out computer experiments on the conditions of family survival in a crisis; the TALK program, which allows simulating situations of communication between individuals based on transactional analysis.

The above analysis of the types of modeling used in social psychology allows us to propose and justify their classification based on the means used in the modeling process. According to this classification, the most common type of modeling in social psychology is material modeling, which is included in the processes of psychological and organizational counseling, socio-psychological training. In the studies of political psychology, mathematical modeling is more often used, since it allows realizing the social demand for an accurate and reliable forecast. In general, mathematical and computer modeling in last years acquires special significance in the scientific research of socio-psychological phenomena. Their use makes it possible to choose the optimal and rational strategy and tactics for the implementation of research programs.

1. The relevance of studying the possibilities of the modeling method in socio-psychological research is associated with the growing role of forecasting, planning and management in the research and practical activities of people.

2. The interpretation of the concepts of "model" and "modeling" in socio-psychological research is based on a general scientific understanding. An analysis of the application of the modeling method makes it possible to highlight its main features, which are manifested, in particular, in social psychology. The features of the modeling method in social psychology are the use of a visual, demonstration basis; obtaining new knowledge by inference by analogy; establishment of relations of isomorphism and homomorphism between the studied object and the original.

3. Some features of the modeling method in social psychology appear frequently, others less frequently. The most frequent application of the modeling method in socio-psychological research is the figurative, visual representation of new concepts, the establishment of similarity relationships with already studied phenomena. The use of the modeling method through the establishment of isomorphism and homomorphism relations is somewhat less common, since this requires the use of a mathematical apparatus and statistical data processing in the modeling process. But it is the application of the modeling method in socio-psychological research through the establishment of relations between isomorphism and homomorphism that makes it possible to reach a qualitatively new level in empirical research, which will be based on reliable psychological diagnostics and modern mathematical methods, including mathematical statistics.

4. Based on the analysis of existing classifications in the scientific literature, the authors of the article proposed and substantiated a variant of the classification of types of modeling in social psychology, based on the variety of means used in modeling. Within the framework of this classification, the following types of modeling of socio-psychological phenomena are defined and analyzed: material, ideal, intuitive, symbolic, mathematical and computer.

5. Analysis of the application of the modeling method in social psychology allows

to note the most common type of modeling - material modeling, since its use is based on establishing a material analogy of group phenomena (for example, a real group is a training group), and the modeling process itself requires the use of only socio-psychological competencies. Mathematical and computer modeling in socio-psychological research are less popular, since their use, in addition to socio-psychological competencies, requires the use of reliable psychodiagnostic methods and modern methods mathematics and statistics.

6. The use of various types of modeling in social psychology (especially mathematical and computer) opens up great prospects for its further development, since effective modeling provides opportunities for choosing the most optimal strategy and tactics for implementing research programs, and also improves the quality of the results of socio-psychological research, opens up new opportunities for organizational and psychological counseling.

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Dmitrieva Yuliya Aleksandrovna, post-graduate student, psychologist of the Department of General Psychology, South Ural State University, [email protected]

Gryazeva-Dobshinskaya Vera Gennadievna, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head. Department of General Psychology, South Ural State University, [email protected].ru

THE MODELING METHOD IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Ju.A. Dmitrieva, V.G. Gryazeva-Dobshinskaya

Topical use of modeling in social psychology as a method of general scientific level. Disclosed the concept of “model” and “simulation” in the context of research in social psychology. The features of the modeling method in social psychological research: the use of visual, demonstration basis, obtaining new knowledge by withdrawing, by analogy, to establish relations homomorphism or isomorphism between the model and the original. A version of the classification of modeling in social psychology that is based on the study of the means of modeling.

Keywords: model, simulation, modeling in social psychology, classification of modeling in social psychology.

Julia A. Dmitrieva, postgraduate student, the psychologist of the Department of General Psychology, South Ural State University, [email protected]

Vera G. Gryazeva-Dobshinskaya, Doctor of Psychological Science, associate professor, Head of Department of General Psychology, South Ural State University, [email protected]

Introduction

The relevance of the abstract is the description of the modeling method in psychological research. The modeling method is of great cognitive importance; it was used by Democritus and Epicurus, Leonardo da Vinci. It became widespread in the social sciences over a hundred years ago.

The purpose of the abstract is to reveal the essence of the modeling method in psychological research.

The objectives of the abstract are to determine what the essential characteristics and functions of the method are, the typology of models and the main means of modeling, as well as the advantages and limitations of the modeling method in social psychology.

1. Essential characteristics of the modeling method

Modeling (English modeling in sychology) - the application of the modeling method in psychological research. It develops in 2 directions:

sign, or technical, imitation of mechanisms, processes and results of mental activity - mental modeling.

organization, reproduction of a particular type of human activity by artificially constructing the environment for this activity, for example, in laboratory conditions, which is commonly called psychological modeling.

Modeling of the psyche is a method of studying mental states, properties and processes, which consists in building models of mental phenomena, in studying the functioning of these models and using the results obtained to predict and explain empirical facts. According to the completeness of the reflection of the object in the model, one can single out the following. classes and subclasses of models of the psyche: iconicfigurative, verbal, mathematical, softwarestrictly algorithmic, heuristic, block diagram, realbionic. Such a sequence of models reflects a gradual transition from a descriptive imitation of the results and functions of mental activity to a material imitation of its structure and mechanisms. The modeling of the psyche is closely connected with the problem of artificial intelligence and the construction of complex control information and computers and systems. Work on the modeling of the psyche is carried out not only in psychology, but also in related areas - bionics, cybernetics, computer technology, computer science, synergetics. The first successes in modeling the psyche were achieved in the middle of the 20th century. based on digital and analog computing technology. Modern level knowledge of mental activity allows to expand research widely only at the first steps of approaching the model to the object, therefore, the most developed at present are symbolic, in particular, mathematical and software, in particular, heuristic models. With their help, it was possible to imitate some aspects of such processes and properties of the psyche, such as perception, memory, learning, logical thinking, etc. The first attempts are being made to build material - hypothetical and bionic - models of visual recognition, for example, F. Rosenblat's perceptron, pandemonium O Selfridge and others.

The word "model" comes from the Latin word "modelium", which means - measure, image, method, etc. Its original meaning was associated with the art of building, and in almost all European languages ​​​​it was used to denote an image or prototype, or a thing similar in some respect to another thing.

The term "model" is defined in science quite ambiguously, and this makes it difficult to determine some of its features and classify models. A model is often understood as a mentally represented or materially realized system that displays or reproduces a set of essential properties and parameters of an object and is capable of replacing it in the process of cognition. The model always operates with idealized constructs and does not have a causal relationship with the prototype object, in contrast to the theory of this object. It is a set of interconnected assumptions about the world.

The essential properties of models are:

subjectivity of the model. The model is subjective, since it is the person who selects those properties in which it corresponds to the original. The model and the original are always in an objective correspondence known to the researcher. Models, therefore, do not exist in nature and society, they are created by the subject of knowledge.

The dual nature of models. In the process of cognition, the model itself replaces the object, while retaining some important features for the researcher and itself becomes the object of direct research. The model is both a prerequisite and a means of cognition.

model transformation. You can do things with the model that you can't do with the original. The possibility of transformations is the most fundamental, most informative side of the modeling method. The model is used to study objects that are difficult or even impossible to handle for ethical or organizational reasons.

The compactness of the model. The model is more compact than the original and therefore acts as an alternative to a physical experiment. Models reproduce the object of study in a simplified form. Since the model is poorer in properties and relationships than reality, any simulation is associated with the problem of model adequacy. Models of the same object can be different and reflect this object from different angles. For a more comprehensive coverage of reality, many models are required. There can be multi-model constructions and multi-level models. In turn, one can move from a complex model to particular models.

Specific informativeness of the model as a means of cognition. The model is an abstraction. You can always select properties that are not represented in this model.

Any model requires interpretation. Knowledge of this kind belongs to the category relative truths. This is not an axiom, but probabilistic knowledge.

We will understand a model as a natural or artificial phenomenon (object, process, situation, etc.) created for the study of socio-psychological processes and states.

In connection with the above properties, a theory becomes of great importance for modeling, which substantiates the possibility and legitimacy of the transition from an object to models and vice versa. When the model and the object belong to the same form of motion of matter, such a theory is the theory of similarity. If the object and the model refer to different forms of motion of matter, then the theoretical justification for the legitimacy of constructing such models is given by the theory of analogies, or even more so. general theory systems isomorphism.

The term "simulation" is used to refer to various scientific procedures. Modeling is often considered as the creation of analogues (schemes, structures, sign systems) of a certain fragment of social reality or a conceptual and theoretical formation, etc. The purpose of the method is to obtain new knowledge about any object by inference by analogy. Inference by analogy is the logical basis of the modeling method. Inferences by analogy are inferences in which the premise refers to one object and the conclusion to another. The conclusion about the identity of some properties of the modeling and simulated systems is made on the basis of the identity of other properties in the same systems. It is obvious that the legitimacy of the conclusion by analogy depends on the nature of analogous relations, on their significance in the modeled system. A model is what is being compared to, but not all analogies can be called modeling. Since the model as a means of cognition is based on analogy, it loses its meaning both in the case of the identity of the model and the prototype, and in the case of their great difference. The need for modeling appears when the compared systems (prototype and model) are partially known. But, since the identity between the model and the prototype is excluded, modeling is inevitably associated with simplification, coarsening in some respects of the prototype, with its abstraction from a number of aspects of the prototype.

In addition to the relations of analogy, the model and the prototype are in the relations of isomorphism and homomorphism. An isomorphic or homomorphic image of an object is its model. Systems are isomorphic if a one-to-one correspondence exists or can be established between their elements, as well as functions, properties and relationships. Gestalt psychology introduces the principle of isomorphism of mental, neurophysiological and physical phenomena into psychology. Systems are homomorphic if knowledge is transferred only from a homomorphic image to a prototype, but not vice versa. Homomorphism is a more general, weaker relation, when one of three conditions is not met: the correspondence of elements, the correspondence of functions, the one-to-one correspondence of properties and relations. Today, it is considered sufficient if a homomorphic relationship, no longer symmetrical, is maintained between the model and its object. Socio-psychological systems are mostly homomorphic.

The process of building a model based on analogy, following A. Mol, can be represented in the following sequence of steps (11):

Finding a figurative (metaphorical) analogy between the system under study and some other, more studied one;

Checking the validity of the found image, its compliance with the observed reality;

Introduction of analogy into a logical framework that allows you to check the degree of completeness of correspondence of analogies with real data;

Checking the materiality, value of analogy, i.e. establishing the significance in the model and prototype of those relationships that have not yet been taken into account. If taking into account the latter does not lead to serious corrections in the image, then the analog model is recognized as useful. After that, the stages of detailing the model begin;

Establishing the scales of the values ​​included in the logical model and the limits of their variability (validity area) under which this analogy is quite fair;

Study of the possibility of interpretation in terms of the model of secondary relations of the prototype;

The description of the proposed model is possible in a more formal way.

Both a real analogue and an ideal conceptual model may be inherent in visibility. Such, for example, are some models of motivation. Widely known proposed by F. Haider R-O-X model, or "Hider's triangle". The use of this model turned out to be productive in describing interpersonal relationships, as well as (in Newcomb's modification) in the study of the speech impact on the group and personality.

The very first sensory-visual basis of modeling are metaphors. Metaphor can be considered as one of the forms of analogy. In the methodology of Flood and Jackson, for example, the attributes of five systemic metaphors are considered. The authors include the metaphor of a machine, an organism, a brain, culture and politics as scientific metaphors.

Cognitive maps are also a visual basis for modeling. The concept of "cognitive map" was introduced by the neobehaviorist E. Tolman in 1948. It means - a schematic, simplified description of the picture of the world of the individual. In mathematics, an example of a cognitive map is a directed graph. Cognitive maps can be rule systems, semantic networks, and relationship structures.

The visibility of the model, the figurativeness of the idea of ​​the system under study is also provided by the theory of graphs, which also preserves formal rigor. A graph is a mathematical example of a cognitive map. A graph is a diagram consisting of given points (vertices) connected by a certain system of lines. The segments connecting the vertices are called edges (arcs) of the graph. A graph is said to be oriented if the direction of all its edges is indicated by an arrow. A path in a graph is a sequence of arcs, the first vertex is the beginning of the path, the last one is the end of the path. When the beginning and end coincide, we have a cycle. A graph without cycles is called a forest. A family tree is an example of a graph without cycles (a forest). The graph "parents - children" is directed, and the graph "familiar people" is undirected, there are no directed arcs in it. When considering graphs, much attention is paid to the definition of the shortest path. A graph containing only edges is called undirected; a graph containing only arcs is oriented. It is natural to use the language of graph theory when modeling structures. For the first time, graph models of objects of social psychology began to be used in the school of K. Levin. The works of F. Harari, D. Cartwright, J. Riley use graph theory to study the structure of relationships between individuals within a group and the dynamics of its changes. Thus, in social psychology, graph theory has long been used in the study of small groups (see also "Sociometry"), with its help, you can explore the emotional and other relationships of group members (referentometry). Thus, the technique of "choice in action" involves observation in a real or experimental situation and can identify subgroups. For example, the researcher observes how children give cards to their comrades. In addition, graph theory can contribute to the study of the structures of complex organizations, relationships between families. However, it should be remembered that only the structure of interpersonal relations is being studied, group norms, values, socio-demographic characteristics are not considered. An example of a model in the form of a graph is the cyclic model of group development by V. Satir.

The model has some degree of integrity and in this sense is a system. Currently under investigation of large systems. Including socio-psychological, for example, large groups, system analysis is used, modeling in the form of a system analogy. The system description of an object is an analogy that can be expressed both in a figurative-visual and in a conceptual form, in a certain set of basic assumptions. To give a description of the modeled object in the form of a system means to determine the boundaries of its interaction with external environment, its structure, elements and subsystems, connections and relationships, functions and their extreme values. In socio-psychological knowledge, communication processes, options for organizational development (resistance to change), consumer behavior and others are described in the form of systems. System analysis operates with a large amount of information of various nature, which allows not to miss important aspects and connections of the object under study from consideration.

2. Main types of models

A unified classification of types of modeling is difficult due to the ambiguity of the concept of "model" in science. It can be carried out for various reasons: by the nature of the models (by the means of models), by the nature of the objects being modeled, by the areas of their application and its levels. In this regard, any classification is doomed to incompleteness.

Depending on the modeling tools, material and ideal models are distinguished. Material (substantial) modeling is based on the material analogy of an object and its model. To build this type of models, it is necessary to highlight the functional characteristics (geometric, physical) of the object under study. The research process is connected with the material impact on the object.

Material (substantial) models of socio-psychological phenomena include those that model one type of group activity through another. An example of this type of modeling is the cybernometer research conducted by N.N. Obozov, playing situations in socio-psychological training. For example, in modeling situations in groups of active socio-psychological learning, the leader is the subject and the group is used as “material” for building and defining models. The subject can be a group together with the leader. Such modeling implies the inclusion in the model of manifestations of the personality as a whole, affecting the affective, value and unconscious part of a person's experience. As a result, the intrapersonal experience of the participants is reformulated.

Also, socio-psychological experiments can be attributed to substantive models. So, the colony of A. Makarenko was a substantive model of organization and implementation educational work with teenagers.

A large class of models is represented by ideal models. Ideal modeling is based on a conceivable analogy. Ideal modeling is subdivided into sign (formalized) and intuitive modeling. The latter is used where the process of cognition is just beginning or the systemic relationships are very complex. A person's life experience can be viewed as an intuitive model of interpersonal relationships. A variant of model construction is possible, in which the formal structure is chosen on intuitive grounds.

Models of sign modeling are diagrams, graphs, drawings, formulas. The most important type of sign modeling is mathematical modeling. Not every sign system acts as a model, since a sign system only becomes a model if it becomes the subject of research, if tasks are solved within its limits and by its means, the solution and meaning of which lie outside the given sign system. So, natural language can act as a model in the study of everyday life, culture, economic and social relations; natural languages ​​act as models in the study of the patterns of thinking, which is a reflection of the objective world.

An essential moment in the creation of any sign model is formalization. Any formalization is accompanied by the following procedures:

The alphabet is set (finite or infinite).

Rules are set that generate "words", "formulas" from the initial characters of the alphabet.

Rules are formulated according to which one can move from one word, formula of a given system to other words and formulas (the so-called inference rules).

Depending on the nature and goals of the created model, proposals that are considered initial (axioms or postulates) may be formulated (but may not be formulated). As a rule, it is not the axioms of a given sign system that are formulated, but axiom schemes with the corresponding substitution rules.

Sign models have some independence. Within their limits and by their means, tasks are often set and solved, the real meaning of which may not be initially clear. In sign models, the theory of similarity is absolutely not applicable.

Today, most of the research on sign models is carried out in line with the logico-mathematical ones. In these models, the nature of the prototype and model no longer plays any role. In these models, purely logical and mathematical properties are important. The description of the model in this case is inseparable from the model itself. The possibility of experimentation is absent and is replaced by inference. New knowledge is obtained by logical and mathematical inferences from the initial description of the model. Mathematical modeling in social psychology is not limited to quantitative operations, it can also deal with qualitative characteristics. Some socio-psychological processes, such as decision-making in elections or the distribution of votes, can be defined entirely in mathematical terms. In such cases, mathematical models are a means of studying the logical consequences of the observed rules.

In the case of complex systems, when the quantitative expression of the set of objective functions is unclear, simulation models are used. Simulation modeling is used to analyze the behavior of a system; fundamental laws of system dynamics are not studied here. In this case, the functioning of a complex system is presented in the form of a certain algorithm, which is implemented on a computer.

It is possible to build a model in which the formal structure is chosen on intuitive grounds. The adopted formal model can give us a general structural idea of ​​the system under study. In this case, the comprehension and verbalization of the concept follow its already prepared mathematical form. The set of possible abstract structures is obviously less than the set of their concrete interpretations.

Mathematical and computer models. An example of a mathematical model of social behavior is the Lewis F. Richardson model, or the arms race model. Consider it to illustrate the compactness, transformability and efficiency of mathematical models. This model takes into account the action of only three factors: a) state X feels the presence of a military threat from state Y, exactly the same logic operates on the part of state Y; b) the burden of spending; c) past grievances.

Хt +1 = kYt - aXt + g+1 = mXt - bYt + h

and Yt are the armament levels at time t

The coefficients k, m, a, b are positive values, and g and h are positive or negative, depending on how hostile or friendly states are in general.

The magnitude of the threat is reflected in terms kYt and mXt, because the larger these numbers, the more quantity weapons on the other side.

The amount of expenditure is reflected in terms aXt and mYt, because these terms reduce the level of armaments in the next year.

The constants g and h reflect the magnitude of past resentment, which, within the framework of this model, is considered unchanged.

By the end of the seventies, the model had already been tested hundreds of times in various arms races. The Richardson model is generally effective in cases of short-term forecasts; the nature of the arms race and, consequently, the prediction of wars, since almost all modern wars are preceded by an unstable arms race.

The Richardson model is only one of the representatives of a large class of dynamic models, i.e. those that model the development of some process in time. Many of these models are implemented as differential equations, and many borrow mathematical tools from models of demographic growth and other biological processes.

One of the most developed areas of mathematical modeling of social behavior is called game theory. "Games" within the framework of this theory are situations in which two or more participants make a choice regarding their actions, and the payoff of each participant depends on the joint choice of both (all). Games studied by game theory are usually more formalized than traditional ones, and the rewards in them are not just win or loss, but something more complex, but the principle of competition here and there is the same.

Game theory was first considered on the material of one of the types of competition, which is called the zero-sum game. The condition of this type of game is: how much one player wins, the other loses the same amount. Most of the regular games belong to this category. However, most socio-psychological situations are non-zero-sum games, or cooperative ones, when both players can win under certain conditions (that is, the fact that one of the players won does not mean that the other lost as much). Of the cooperative games, the prisoner's dilemma game is the best studied. This model can be used for mutual control over the implementation of business contracts, decision-making on the start of active actions (strike, collective agreements). In reality, players are more likely to choose to cooperate, despite all the factors pushing them to cheat.

A third example of mathematical models that are very well known is the Downs model. The model helps explain why general election candidates do not occupy concurrent positions and why candidates often change their ideological positions between primary and secondary elections. The simplest version of the Downs model is a bell-shaped curve that runs along a single fixed ideological axis.

In addition to the considered models, mathematical models include models of expected utility. They are effective at deciding what actions to take (prescriptive models), but they cannot predict the actual behavior of people (descriptive models). Similar to these models are optimization models, which were mostly borrowed from economics and engineering. These models are useful for determining optimal behavior, for example, when the opponent is an unpredictable future, in competitive situations with a small number of participants, and also in competitive situations where the environment is determined by a large number of participants. The mathematical description of oscillatory processes is of interest in connection with the study of motivation, the model of formation public opinion described using kinetic equations. Static problems are usually written in the form of algebraic expressions, dynamic - in the form of differential and finite difference equations.

The multidimensionality of socio-psychological phenomena can be quite fully described at the present time by the methods of modern multivariate analysis, including, in particular, the methods of multivariate statistics, cluster analysis and analysis of latent structures, multidimensional scaling, etc.

Computer models are based on programming using not equations, but algorithms (strictly formulated sequential instructions). Computer models are especially effective in studying situations involving the processing of a large amount of information, for example, learning processes, non-numerical processes. Very often, such a form of computer model as an expert system is used. It uses a large number of "if ... then" installations. Expert systems have shown their ability to accurately reproduce the actions of people in a wide variety of areas.

The Talk and Search Man programs developed by scientists from Omsk can serve as examples of computer models of socio-psychological processes. The first serves for complex modeling of transactional communication of individuals. The second was created for the purpose of conducting computer experiments concerning the problem of choosing a spouse by a woman in order to form a family.

Even more complex are dynamic computer simulation models that model complex processes using large systems of equations that cannot be solved by algebraic means. The objects of computer simulation models can be extensive socio-psychological processes (changes in the mood of the masses, mass behavior) and these models are increasingly used to play scenarios such as "what will happen if ...".

Models of nonlinear processes.

The rapid development of synergetics, the theory of self-organization of complex systems, was due to the search for models to describe nonlinear processes. Synergetics deals with open non-linear dissipative systems that are far from equilibrium. Almost all the objects that social psychology encounters can be attributed to this class. Open systems are understood as those that can exchange energy, matter, information with environment. Both the individual and social groups are open systems. The non-linearity of systems suggests that in real social and socio-psychological systems, the consequences are the result of the influence of many causes. Moreover, effects have an inverse effect on the causes that gave rise to them. The property of dissipativity in a broad sense is understood as the ability of the system under study to “forget” the details of external influences. The main property of such systems is an extraordinary sensitivity to all kinds of influences and, in connection with this, an extreme non-equilibrium. The disequilibrium of socio-psychological phenomena is manifested in their irregular behavior. Complex socio-psychological processes resemble an infinite computer, which contains an infinite number of communicants; this makes it impossible to single out the “initial signal” (leadership) and determine a clear addressee.

Systems in which self-organization occurs can be complex and have a huge number of degrees of freedom, which can lead to the implementation of completely random sequences. The presence of a variety of degrees of freedom generates chaos, which in synergetics is considered as the cause of the development of structures, as a complexly organized sequence. Over time, a small number of leading degrees of freedom are allocated in the system, to which the rest “adjust”. In the process of self-organization, the whole acquires properties that none of the parts possesses. The development of nonlinear systems is irreversible and multivariant. The evolution of such a system is determined not by its past, but by its future. To control such a system, it is necessary to influence it at the moment when it is in a state of instability (near the so-called bifurcation point), and it is necessary to organize a very precise action. It may be extremely weak, but, being very accurate, will lead to a radical change in the entire evolution of the system. As new priorities of the modern picture of the world, synergetics thus introduces the phenomenon of uncertainty and multi-alternative development, the idea of ​​the emergence of order from chaos.

The fundamental importance of the processes of self-organization for the human psyche has been repeatedly pointed out by prominent psychologists. The key category of K. Levin "dynamic field" was considered as an integral self-organizing system. G. Allport discussed the concept of self-confrontation, which can be considered within the framework of the idea of ​​self-organization. Models illustrating the connection of phenomena with the theory of self-organization: the model of prison riots, the theory of catastrophes, the model of migration, the Model of developing a consensus G.A. Simon and G. Gutzkov.

The typology of models also includes structural, functional and mixed models. Substantial models are brought to life by technical and organizational difficulties. Structural models mimic the internal organization of the original. They can be either signed or unsigned. Functional models mimic the way the original behaves. They, like structural models, are less tied to the original. These models can be both material and ideal. Functional modeling is the main method of cybernetics on present stage. The objective basis of the cybernetic approach is the relative independence of the function from the structure, i.e. the fact of the existence of a potential set of specific structures capable of performing a given function.

Separate types of models in their pure form are rare. Models are usually converted from one-dimensional to multidimensional. A substantive model must be either structural or functional, or both. Functional-structural models in terms of the probability of conclusions are significantly inferior to structural-functional models.

Models can also be divided according to the degree of completeness. On this basis, they are divided into complete and incomplete. The more complete the model, the more complex it is, so it is not necessary to strive for a complete model in every case. As initial stage studies, it is more profitable and more convenient to create incomplete models, as they allow you to get results faster. Although this result is less accurate than when using the full model, in most cases its use is quite justified at the first stage of the study. The larger the model, the more careful it should be. To build an effective model means to find a description of it that gives an answer to a specific question. The general model of a complex object is called aggregated and is composed of detailed models.

simulation psyche social psychology

3. Stages of modeling

1. Formulation of the research problem, definition of goals, setting of modeling tasks.

The problem situation is the basis of any analysis, it is the subject of modeling. Any problem situation has an objective and subjective basis, and it is important not to allow any of them to be absolutized.

Example. Model of socio-psychological adaptation of forced migrants. Purpose: organization of social psychological help and adaptation of migrants. Tasks: monitoring the socio-psychological state of migrants; counseling and provision of medical and psychological assistance; provision of centers for social and psychological adaptation of migrants.

Theoretical problem: the lack of a typology of socio-psychological adaptation of migrants and ignorance of the models of their adaptive behavior.

Practical problem: inconsistency between intra-group requirements and the requirements of the new ethnic group for migrants.

1. Substantiation of the necessity of referring to the modeling method.

For example:

• Features of the object of study.
• Behavior prediction is required.
• Availability of detailed models, etc.
• Theoretical preparation of the modeling process. Building a non-formalized model (metaphors, cognitive maps, system analysis of an object). Tools are selected that are able to explain the selected observations, but are not defined strictly enough. It is necessary to determine which of the sets of theoretical assumptions (potential models) to accept.

Example: social adaptation of forced migrants - acceptance of norms, values ​​of the new social environment, forms of social interaction + personal, public interest, social functions.

Building a conceptual model.

Representation of the mechanisms of action and interaction of the structure-forming units of the model, the formation of indicators. There shouldn't be too many variables.

Example: separation of active and passive adaptation in a theoretical way. Definition as indicators defense mechanisms behavior, group mechanisms, conflict with norms, deviant behavior, etc.

Designing a formalized model.

Formation of the space of variables and description of model units in their terms, data collection and identification of model parameters and relationships, model verification.

Formalization does not necessarily reach the level at which the discovered relationships are described mathematically. Any study of a concept in an unambiguous language can be considered formal in the broad sense of the word. Thus, it is necessary, at a minimum, to turn an unordered set of categories into a deductive system. But since the set of possible abstract structures is obviously less than the set of their concrete interpretations, the psychologist's concept follows the already prepared mathematical form. Empirical verification is not always necessary, since the process is sometimes described in an exhaustive way. Model verification includes the stage of operationalization, measurement and statistical analysis.

Example. The starting position of the deductive system: normal adaptation leads to stable adaptability without personality pathology and without violation of norms.

Studying models and obtaining new information.

Example. It was revealed that some migrants overcome intra-group problem situations in an unusual way, there is a conflict with group norms; others have conflict with their group.

The transition from the received model information to restructured knowledge about the subject of research.

Deformalization and meaningful interpretation, analysis, generalization and explanation.

Inclusion of model knowledge in the system of theoretical knowledge about the object of study.

Example. Creation of a more meaningful typology of socio-psychological adaptation of forced migrants: normal protective adaptation, non-protective adaptive processes, non-conformist adaptation, innovative adaptation, pathological adaptation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, attention should be paid to the difficulties associated with modeling. The model cannot be better than its original assumptions. The validity of a model does not depend on its apparatus, but on its assumptions. The most common drawback of models is oversimplified initial assumptions. For example, the Richardson model fails in situations involving nuclear weapons. The model does not take into account properties that are insignificant in a certain respect and may be significant in another respect. The results produced by the model must be correctly translated into natural language. Often the generality of the model's findings is overestimated.

The model compactly and visually organizes the facts, suggests the interdependence of the established facts. The model includes phenomena that are expected with some probability. The model allows you to involve quantitative data in the analysis, build an explanation using some new variables, see the object from a new angle. The generalization of experimental data makes it possible to propose models that reflect the specifics of implicit socio-psychological patterns; such, in particular, are the patterns of semantic perception of persuasive speech in the model of K. Hovland and M. Sherif.

The essential characteristics of the modeling method are: subjectivity of the model, dual nature, transformability, compactness and specific informativeness of the model.

The main types of models include: models by their nature (material and ideal), by the nature of the objects being modeled, by their areas of application.

The stages of modeling are the formulation of the research problem, the rationale for the need to refer to the modeling method, the theoretical preparation of the process, the construction of a conceptual model, the construction of a formalized model, the study of models and the acquisition of new information, the transition from the obtained model information to restructured knowledge about the subject of research, the inclusion of model knowledge in system of theoretical knowledge about the object.

List of used literature

1. Kravchenko, A.I. Psychology and Pedagogy: textbook. [for universities] / A.I. Kravchenko. - M.: TK Velby: Prospect, 2007. - 400 p.

Psychological modeling consists in the artificial creation of special conditions that provoke the responses, actions or attitudes of the natural carriers of the psyche (people or animals) that are necessary for the task of research (examination, training). In other words, the researcher, depending on the subject and objectives of the study, creates a specific psychogenic situation for the object under study, as a result of which his behavior is modeled (for a person in the form of activity and communication).

Comparing the initial conditions of a psychogenic situation with the parameters of the object's behavior, one can, firstly, obtain indirect data on the organization and work of the psyche, which can be used to study and model it, and secondly, to identify correlation, cause-and-effect, and sometimes functional links between psychogenic influences and behavioral characteristics, which gives grounds for deriving psychological patterns, and, thirdly, to develop effective methods of influencing people in order to provide them with psychological assistance.

Main Features of Psychological Modeling

1. The natural object and subject of research are people (animals) and their psyche.

2. Artificiality of research conditions (for example, an experimental laboratory, a diagnostic center, a psychotherapeutic room).

3. The use of modeling tools - teaching aids (for example, instructions, questionnaires, stimulus material), technical devices(for example, exposing equipment, measuring equipment) or pharmacological agents (for example, barbiturates in some types of psychotherapeutic interventions or psychedelics in transpersonal psychology).

4. Purposefulness of impacts on the object.

5. Humanization of influences.

6. Programming the procedure of influences (from the minimum of regulation during free conversation to the maximum during testing or laboratory experiment). 7. Registration of influencing (situational and procedural) factors and responses of the object of study.

It is possible to form a psychogenic situation using any empirical method of psychology up to provoked observation and introspection. The most characteristic in this regard, of course, laboratory experiment, testing, psychophysiological and psychotherapeutic methods.

Psychological modeling is an integral form of all types of psychological work: research, diagnostics, counseling, correction. In psychotherapeutic practice, it is the psychogenic situations themselves that often act as a tool for providing psychological assistance. A classic example of this is psychodrama, where, in fact, the stage action should lead to a therapeutic effect (catharsis). A specific type of psychological modeling are psychotrainings. All of the features of this direction listed above are especially clearly represented in them.