Human capabilities and abilities depend. What are human abilities and their types?
Lecture: Human abilities
General characteristics of human abilities
Usually Abilities are understood as such individual characteristics that are conditions for the successful implementation of one or more activities. However, the term “ability,” despite its long-standing and widespread use in psychology, is interpreted ambiguously by many authors. If we summarize all the possible options for currently existing approaches to the study of abilities, they can be reduced to three main types. In the first case Abilities are understood as the totality of all possible mental processes and states. This is the broadest and oldest interpretation of the term “ability.” From the point of view of the second approach Abilities are understood as a high level of development of general and specialized knowledge, skills and abilities that ensure a person’s successful performance of various types of activities. This definition appeared and was accepted in the psychology of the 18th-19th centuries. and is quite common nowadays. Third approach is based on the assertion that abilities are something that cannot be reduced to knowledge, skills and abilities, but ensures their rapid acquisition, consolidation and effective use in practice.
In Russian psychology, experimental studies of abilities are most often based on the latter approach. The greatest contribution to its development was made by the famous domestic scientist B. M. Teplov. He identified the following three main features of the concept of “ability”.
Firstly, abilities are understood as individual psychological characteristics that distinguish one person from another; no one will talk about abilities when we are talking about properties in respect of which all people are equal.
Secondly, abilities are not called all individual characteristics, but only those that are related to the success of performing any activity or many activities.
Thirdly, the concept of “ability” is not limited to the knowledge, skills or abilities that have already been developed by a given person.
Abilities can be classified into:
Natural (or natural) abilities, basically biologically determined, associated with innate inclinations, formed on their basis in the presence of elementary life experience through learning mechanisms such as conditioned reflex connections (for example, such elementary abilities are perception, memory, the ability for elementary communication);
Specific human abilities, having a socio-historical origin and ensuring life and development in the social environment.
Specific human abilities are in turn divided into: A) general which determine a person’s success in a wide variety of activities and communication (mental abilities, developed memory and speech, accuracy and subtlety of hand movements, etc.), and special
, which determine a person’s success in certain types of activity and communication, where a special kind of inclinations and their development are needed (mathematical, technical, literary and linguistic, artistic and creative abilities, sports, etc.). B) theoretical, determining a person’s propensity for abstract-logical thinking, and practical,
underlying the propensity for concrete practical actions. The combination of these abilities is characteristic only of multi-talented people; B) educational, which influence the success of pedagogical influence, a person’s assimilation of knowledge, skills, abilities, the formation of personality qualities, and creative
associated with success in creating works of material and spiritual culture, new ideas, discoveries, inventions; D) abilities to communicate, interact with people and subject-related abilities,
related to the interaction of people with nature, technology, symbolic information, artistic images, etc.
Levels of ability development and individual differences
In psychology, the following classification of levels of development of abilities is most often found: ability, giftedness, talent, genius. All abilities in the process of their development go through a number of stages, and in order for a certain ability to rise in its development to a higher level, it is necessary that it has already been sufficiently developed at the previous level. But for the development of abilities, there must initially be a certain foundation, which constitutes Inclinations are understood as the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the nervous system, which form the natural basis for the development of abilities. For example, developmental features of various analyzers can act as innate inclinations. Thus, certain characteristics of auditory perception can act as the basis for the development of musical abilities.
It should be noted that the innate anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the brain, sensory organs and movement, or innate inclinations, determine the natural basis of individual differences between people. According to I.P. Pavlov, the basis of individual differences is determined by the predominant type of higher nervous activity and the peculiarities of the relationship of signaling systems. Based on these criteria, three typological groups of people can be distinguished: artistic type (predominance of the first signaling system), thinking type (predominance of the second signaling system) and average type (equal representation).
The typological groups identified by Pavlov suggest the presence of various innate inclinations in representatives of one or another group. Thus, the main differences between the artistic type and the thinking type appear in the sphere of perception, where the “artist” is characterized by holistic perception, and the “thinker” is characterized by fragmentation of it into separate parts; in the sphere of imagination and thinking, “artists” have a predominance of figurative thinking and imagination, while “thinkers” are more characterized by abstract, theoretical thinking; in the emotional sphere, persons of the artistic type are distinguished by increased emotionality, while representatives of the thinking type are more characterized by rational, intellectual reactions to events.
It should be emphasized that the presence of certain inclinations in a person does not mean that he will develop certain abilities. For example, an essential prerequisite for the development of musical abilities is a keen ear. But the structure of the peripheral (auditory) and central nervous system is only a prerequisite for the development of musical abilities. The structure of the brain does not provide for what professions and specialties related to musical hearing may arise in human society. It is also not provided for what area of activity a person will choose for himself and what opportunities will be provided to him for the development of his existing inclinations. Consequently, to what extent a person’s inclinations will be developed depends on the conditions of his individual development.
Thus, the development of inclinations is a socially conditioned process that is associated with the conditions of upbringing and the characteristics of the development of society. Inclinations develop and transform into abilities, provided that there is a need in society for certain professions, in particular, where a fine ear for music is needed. The second significant factor in the development of inclinations is the characteristics of upbringing.
The makings are non-specific. The presence of a certain type of inclinations in a person does not mean that on their basis, under favorable conditions, some specific ability must necessarily develop. Based on the same inclinations, different abilities can be developed depending on the nature of the requirements imposed by the activity. Thus, a person with good hearing and a sense of rhythm can become a musical performer, conductor, dancer, singer, music critic, teacher, composer, etc. At the same time, it cannot be assumed that inclinations do not influence the nature of future abilities. Thus, the features of the auditory analyzer will affect precisely those abilities that require a special level of development of this analyzer.
The next level of development is abilities. These are individual psychological characteristics of a person that ensure success in activities, communication and ease of mastering them.
Abilities are largely social and are formed in the process of specific human activity. Depending on whether conditions for the development of abilities exist or not, they can be potential And relevant.
Potential abilities are understood as those that are not realized in a specific type of activity, but are capable of being updated when relevant social conditions change. Actual abilities, as a rule, include those that are needed at a given moment and are implemented in a specific type of activity. Potential and actual abilities are an indirect indicator of the nature of the social conditions in which a person’s abilities develop. It is the nature of social conditions that prevents or promotes the development of potential abilities, and ensures or does not ensure their transformation into actual ones.
It should be noted that no single ability can by itself ensure the successful performance of an activity. The success of any activity always depends on a number of abilities. Observation alone, no matter how perfect, is not enough to become a good writer. For a writer, observation, imaginative memory, a number of thinking qualities, abilities related to writing, the ability to concentrate and a number of other abilities are of paramount importance.
On the other hand, the structure of any specific ability includes universal or general qualities that meet the requirements of various types of activity, and special qualities that ensure success in only one type of activity. For example, while studying mathematical abilities, V. A. Krutetsky found that to successfully perform mathematical activities it is necessary:
1) an active, positive attitude towards the subject, a tendency to engage in it, which turns into passion at a high level of development;
2) a number of character traits, primarily hard work, organization, independence, determination, perseverance, as well as stable intellectual feelings;
3) the presence during the activity of mental states favorable for its implementation;
4) a certain fund of knowledge, skills and abilities in the relevant field;
5) individual psychological characteristics in the sensory and mental spheres that meet the requirements of this activity.
Moreover, the first four the categories of the listed properties should be considered as general properties necessary for any activity, and not considered as components of abilities, since otherwise components of abilities should interests and inclinations, character traits, mental states, as well as skills and abilities.
The next level of ability development is giftedness. Giftedness is a unique combination of abilities that provides a person with the opportunity to successfully perform any activity.
In this definition, it is necessary to emphasize that it is not the successful performance of an activity that depends on giftedness, but only the possibility of such successful performance. To successfully perform any activity, it is necessary not only to have the appropriate combination of abilities, but also to master the necessary knowledge and skills. No matter how phenomenally mathematically gifted a person may be, if he has never studied mathematics, he will not be able to successfully perform the functions of the most ordinary specialist in this field. Giftedness determines only the possibility of achieving success in a particular activity, while the realization of this opportunity is determined by the extent to which the corresponding abilities will be developed and what knowledge and skills will be acquired.
Individual differences in gifted people are found mainly in the direction of their interests. Some people, for example, stop at mathematics, others at history, and still others at social work. Further development of abilities occurs in specific activities.
It should be noted that in the structure of abilities two groups of components can be distinguished. Some occupy a leading position, while others are auxiliary. Thus, in the structure of visual abilities, the leading properties will be the high natural sensitivity of the visual analyzer - a sense of line, proportion, shape, light and shade, color, rhythm, as well as the sensorimotor qualities of the artist’s hand, highly developed figurative memory, etc. The auxiliary qualities include the properties artistic imagination, emotional mood, emotional attitude towards what is depicted, etc.
Leading and auxiliary components of abilities form a unity that ensures the success of activities. However, the structure of abilities is a very flexible education. The ratio of leading and auxiliary qualities in a specific ability varies from person to person. Depending on which quality a person has as a leader, the formation of auxiliary qualities necessary for performing the activity occurs. Moreover, even within the same activity, people may have different combinations of qualities that will allow them to equally successfully perform this activity, compensating for shortcomings.
It should be noted that the lack of abilities does not mean that a person is unfit to perform a particular activity, since there are psychological mechanisms for compensating for missing abilities. Often, activities have to be carried out not only by those who have the ability to do it, but also by those who do not have them. If a person is forced to continue in this activity, he will consciously or unconsciously compensate for the lack of abilities by relying on the strengths of his personality. According to E.P. Ilyin, compensation can be carried out through acquired knowledge or skills, or through the formation of an individual-typical style of activity, or through another, more developed ability. The possibility of widespread compensation of some properties by others leads to the fact that the relative weakness of any one ability does not at all exclude the possibility of successfully performing the activity most closely related to this ability. The missing ability can be compensated within very wide limits by others that are highly developed in a given person. This is probably what ensures the possibility of successful human activity in a wide variety of areas.
When characterizing a person’s abilities, they often distinguish the level of their development as skill, i.e., excellence in a specific activity. When they talk about a person’s skill, they primarily mean his ability to successfully engage in productive activities. However, it does not follow from this that mastery is expressed in the corresponding amount of ready-made skills and abilities. Mastery in any profession presupposes psychological readiness for creative solutions to emerging problems. It’s not without reason that they say: “Mastery is when the “what” and “how” come at the same time,” emphasizing that for a master there is no gap between recognizing a creative task and finding ways to solve it.
The next level of development of human abilities is talent. The word “talent” is found in the Bible, where it has the meaning of a measure of silver that a lazy slave received from his master during his absence and chose to bury in the ground, instead of putting it into circulation and making a profit (hence the saying “bury your talent in the ground” ). Currently, talent is understood as a high level of development of special abilities (musical, literary, etc.). Just like abilities, talent manifests itself and develops in activity. The activity of a talented person is distinguished by its fundamental novelty and originality of approach.
The awakening of talent, as well as abilities in general, is socially conditioned. Which talents will receive the most favorable conditions for full development depends on the needs of the era and the characteristics of the specific tasks facing a given society.
It should be noted that talent is a certain combination of abilities, their totality. A separate isolated ability, even a very highly developed one, cannot be called a talent. For example, among outstanding talents you can find many people with both good and bad memory. This is due to the fact , that in human creative activity, memory is only one of the factors on which its success depends. But the results will not be achieved by inflexibility of the mind, rich imagination, strong will, and deep interest.
The highest level of development of abilities is called genius. ABOUT genius is said when a person’s creative achievements constitute an entire era in the life of society, in the development of culture. There are very few people of genius. It is generally accepted that over the entire five-thousand-year history of civilization there were no more than 400 people. The high level of talent that characterizes a genius is inevitably associated with excellence in various fields of activity. Among the geniuses who achieved such universalism are Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, R. Descartes, G. V. Leibniz, M. V. Lomonosov. For example, M.V. Lomonosov achieved outstanding results in various fields of knowledge: chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, and at the same time he was an artist, writer, linguist, and had an excellent knowledge of poetry. However, this does not mean that all individual qualities of a genius are developed to the same extent. Genius, as a rule, has its own “profile”, some side dominates in it, some abilities manifest themselves more clearly.
Now it’s no secret to anyone that there are hidden human capabilities that are sharply activated under severe stress and help to survive when the situation seems hopeless. This once again confirms the fact that human capabilities and those used in everyday life are very far from its natural potential.
Hidden opportunities under stress
Let's look at vivid examples of how the capabilities of the human brain and body are activated in a stressful situation.
- Scientists believe that in an extreme situation the human spine can withstand a load weighing up to 10 tons.
- Real abilities are activated only when the situation is hopeless. There are known cases when people, hiding from the pursuit of evil dogs, jumped over a two-meter fence in the blink of an eye. And after that, no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to repeat their feat.
- There is a known case where a metal bolt fell out in the cockpit of an airplane and landed exactly under the pedal, which caused a general jamming of the entire control. The pilot pressed the pedal so desperately that he sheared the bolt and returned control to normal.
- One woman, who saw her child under the wheel of a car, managed to lift the car and free the baby.
- There is a known case when a mother, who saw her two-year-old baby falling out of a window, instantly jumped and grabbed his hand, while keeping herself from falling on her palm. When the rescuers arrived, it was difficult for them to release the hand of the mother who had saved the baby and was stiff in this position.
These cases show that the possibilities of the mind and body under the influence of adrenaline are truly limitless.
Is it possible to activate hidden features without permission?
Those people who managed to discover such abilities at least once often try to repeat their feat later, but it turns out that this is impossible. And even if they try to consciously scare themselves, or imagine a source, it doesn’t work.
The fact is that the human brain is susceptible to external stimuli, and only when adrenaline is released into the blood, and the brain realizes the real danger of what is happening, are such incredible funny cases possible.
It is no secret that it is impossible to tickle yourself - the brain recognizes the source of irritation and ignores such signals. Approximately the same mechanism operates when a person tries to artificially force himself to experience stress.
Individual psychological characteristics, which are subjective conditions for the successful implementation of a certain type of activity. Abilities are not limited to the knowledge, skills and abilities an individual has. They are revealed in the speed, depth and strength of mastering methods and techniques of activity.
When people in the same circumstances achieve different successes in mastering and performing any activity, they say that some people have the appropriate abilities and others do not. The success of mastering an activity and its implementation also depends on knowledge, skills and abilities. But abilities cannot be reduced to motives, knowledge, abilities, or skills. At the same time, they all act as conditions for the realization of abilities.
Human abilities, like any other personal formations, have a dual psychological nature. On the one hand, any ability has individual components that constitute its biological foundations or prerequisites. They are called makings. represent morphological and functional features of the structure of the brain, sensory organs and movement. Most of them are genetically determined. In addition to congenital ones, a person also has acquired inclinations, which are formed in the process of maturation and development of the child in the first years of life. Such inclinations are called social. Natural inclinations by themselves do not yet determine a successful person, that is, they are not abilities. These are only natural conditions or factors on the basis of which the development of abilities occurs.
Another important condition for their formation is the social environment, whose representatives, represented by parents and teachers, include the child in various types of activities and communication, equip them with the necessary ways to carry them out, and organize a system of exercises and training. Moreover, the possibilities for developing abilities are largely determined by the potential that is inherent in the inclinations. This potential can be realized in appropriate conditions, but most often it remains unfulfilled due to the unfavorable development conditions of most people.
There are different opinions about the extent to which abilities are determined by heredity, and to what extent by the influence of the surrounding social environment. Numerous facts indicate the dominance of both heredity and social conditions. Confirmation that heredity has a great influence on the formation of abilities is the facts of the early emergence of abilities in many gifted people.
Types of abilities. Human abilities are always associated with human mental functions: memory, attention, emotions, etc. Depending on this, the following types of abilities can be distinguished: psychomotor, sensory-perceptual, mental, imaginative (“imaginative”), mnemonic, attentional (“attentive”), emotional-dynamic, speech, volitional. They are part of the structure of professional abilities of different specialists. For example, psychomotor abilities are necessary for a surgeon, watchmaker, ballet dancer, etc. Sensory-perceptual abilities form the basis of the professional skills of a cook, taster, perfumer, etc.
There are two sides to human social life: objective activity and communication. This division allows us to distinguish two types of abilities: subject and socio-psychological. Subject abilities ensure the success of mastering and performing all kinds of subject activities. Social and psychological abilities are necessary to communicate with people. Communication is fundamentally different from interaction with objects: it is dialogical in essence and requires treating another person as an equal and equal subject and personality. Communication is based not only on your own interests and capabilities, but also on the interests and capabilities of your partner. Therefore, its success will be determined by whether the subject is able to understand another person, mentally take his place, plan and implement the most reasonable methods of psychological influence, make the right impression, etc. This group of abilities includes character traits that express an attitude towards people. Most socio-psychological abilities are very specific and do not work in the context of objective activity. The same is true for subject abilities. In other words, they hardly intersect with each other. Therefore, numerous facts are quite understandable when specialists with a high level of professionalism in some subject area showed complete incompetence in working with people, and vice versa.
Depending on the level of generality, general and special abilities are distinguished. General abilities determine the success of performing many types of activities simultaneously. These include, for example, intellectual abilities, developed memory, speech, etc. Special abilities determine success in specific activities. They work only within the limits of their respective activities. These include musical, mathematical, literary and other abilities. General and special abilities most often coexist, mutually complementing each other. The success of performing any concrete and specific activity depends not only on special, but also on general abilities. Therefore, during the professional training of specialists, one cannot limit oneself to the formation of only special abilities.
Depending on the productivity of activity or communication and the characteristics of the product generated by them, reproductive and creative abilities are distinguished. Reproductive abilities affect the success of mastering activities, the ability to assimilate knowledge, abilities and skills, that is, the effectiveness of learning. They are necessary for mastering special experience and, therefore, for the development of a person as a subject and as an individual. Thanks to them, there is no creation, but only the preservation and recreation of accumulated human experience in subsequent generations. Creative abilities determine the creation of objects of material and spiritual culture, the production of new, original ideas, discoveries, inventions, creativity in various areas of human activity. They are the ones who ensure social progress.
Depending on the level of development of a person’s abilities, giftedness, talent and genius are distinguished. The set of a number of abilities that determine a person’s particularly successful activity in a certain area and distinguish him from other persons performing this activity in the same conditions is called giftedness. A high degree of a person’s ability to perform a certain activity, manifested in originality and novelty of an approach, is called talent. Talent is a combination of abilities, their totality. The structure of talent is determined by the nature of the demands placed on the individual by the activity. Genius is the highest degree of giftedness, it is a combination of abilities that gives a person the opportunity to successfully, independently and originally perform any complex activity. The difference between genius and talent is not so much quantitative as qualitative. A genius creates an entire era in his field of activity. Thus, Mozart in music, Charles Darwin in natural science, I. Newton in physics, etc. can be considered a genius.
The more pronounced the abilities, the fewer people have them. In terms of the level of development of abilities, most people do not stand out in any way. There are not so many gifted people, much fewer talented people, and geniuses can be found in every field approximately once a century. These are simply unique people who make up the heritage of humanity. That is why they require the most careful handling. In reality, talented and especially brilliant individuals are rarely recognized by their contemporaries. The true appreciation of their creative contribution to public culture is given by subsequent generations.
Formation of abilities. In their genetic essence, abilities are socially developed generalized ways of dealing with objects, phenomena and people, acquired by the individual and transformed into stable personal properties, ways of acting (assisting) in various life situations. Therefore, the formation of abilities should be aimed at organizing the necessary types and methods of activity and communication and transforming them into appropriate personal formations. However, it cannot be identified with the methodology of developing knowledge, skills and abilities.
The initial natural condition for the development of abilities is inclinations. It is on them that, first of all, depends how successfully a child can master the methods of activity and communication assigned to him by society. They can favor or hinder this, which must be taken into account when constructing a formative methodology. During the corresponding exercises, they are transformed and integrated with the acquired methods of action (assistance). As a result, a peculiar alloy of natural and social, individual and personal arises.
The age-related timing of the discovery of inclinations and the organization of the process itself are important in the formation of human abilities. The earlier it starts, the easier and faster it is to achieve maximum results. However, one should keep in mind the so-called sensitive periods, during which the most favorable psychophysiological conditions are created for the formation of certain abilities. For example, the sensitive period for the development of linguistic abilities is early preschool age, and the sensitive period for artistic abilities is senior preschool age.
All these circumstances are necessary for the transformation of man as a biological being with innate inclinations into a social being that develops human abilities. The surrounding people, having the necessary abilities and means of education, ensure the continuous development of the necessary abilities in children. Complexity plays an important role here, that is, the simultaneous improvement of several mutually complementary abilities. The versatility and variety of activities and communication in which a person is simultaneously involved acts as one of the conditions for the development of his abilities. In this regard, the following requirements must be met for developmental activities (communication): creative character, optimal level of difficulty for the performer, proper motivation and ensuring a positive emotional mood when performing.
An essential factor determining the development of abilities is the individual’s stable special interests in a certain area of social existence, which are transformed into a tendency to professionally engage in relevant activities. Special abilities are formed in the process of mastering professional activities. Cognitive interest stimulates the mastery of effective techniques and methods of its implementation, and the success achieved, in turn, further increases motivation.
In order to ensure the best suitability of a person for a specific type of work activity, it is necessary to assess his professional inclinations, aptitudes and abilities. This is carried out in the process of career guidance and selection, which makes it possible to identify the qualities necessary for a specific type of work activity. Based on this assessment, professional suitability is determined. We can say that a person is suitable for a given profession only when his abilities fully correspond to the nature of the work.
In life, when a person’s activities are assessed, they talk about his abilities and inabilities. Sometimes people living in almost the same conditions, but not everyone achieves success in life. The same can be said about the situation when for some, acquiring knowledge and skills is not difficult, but for others it is very difficult. Psychology explains this by the presence of human abilities.
What do we call abilities?
This concept is not as clear as it seems, and therefore is explained by scientists in different ways.
Most precisely, this concept was formulated by B. M. Teplov, who proceeds from three ideas:
Abilities are individual properties of a person and, from the point of view of psychology, are inherent in every person
But these are not all properties, but only those with the help of which success in life is achieved
- abilities do not include knowledge and skills that have already been accumulated by a person.
Abilities are manifested and preserved only in constant development, because, say, a musician ceases to practically maintain his form, his abilities are lost over time. A person develops and improves his abilities when he puts them into practice. It has been noted that to successfully complete a task, it is not enough to have any one ability; a combination of them is necessary, but it may happen that a less developed ability is compensated by another, more developed one.
What abilities are there?
It is customary to consider abilities obtained from nature, based on biological data and specific, arising under the influence of socio-historical conditions. Natural ones include memory, perception, thinking - inherent in all people and some animals. These abilities are laid down from birth and are biologically determined. They are based on innate inclinations and are formed with the acquisition of life experience. But man is a social being and therefore he has specific abilities. People possess them, because no one except them has speech and logical thinking. Some abilities are classified as general, and others as special. Possession of speech and precise movements of the arms and legs, for example, is common to all people. Specific abilities are those that are manifested in certain types of activities: mathematics, music, painting, sports, etc.
If a person has developed abstract thinking, then we have the right to talk about his abilities for theoretical activity. Anyone who likes to perform specific actions, to do something with their own hands, has practical abilities. A person is easily given knowledge, he quickly learns new material, in this case we are talking about his ability to study, and the one who likes to create objects of spiritual culture, strives to discover or invent something - he is characterized by creative abilities. There is a category of people who are able to quickly establish relationships with people, even influence them. Such abilities are manifested through the possession of speech, and this has largely helped man become a social being. Almost from birth, a person develops a need for emotional communication. This makes it possible to build behavior depending on the situation, to guess the intentions of other people. Mastering social norms helps you build relationships with other people faster. There are people who know how to convince others. But it often happens that a person has several abilities, and this combination is called giftedness. Possessing one ability does not guarantee complete success in life. The interaction of abilities, their mutual complementation of each other, give a high result.
What are the makings of a person?
A person is characterized by the possession of certain inclinations: a distinction is made between congenital and acquired. The development of a person’s abilities takes place in several stages, but only certain abilities reach a high level. To achieve it, you must have a certain initial level. The deposit becomes the basis from which further steps are taken. It also determines individual characteristics in the formation of special abilities. Individual abilities develop through the interaction of hereditary characteristics and the environment, and this manifests itself already at birth. From childhood, a person is ingrained with such properties that, with age, can help or hinder the formation of specific abilities. At the same time, based on the research conducted, it has been proven that the human nervous system does not predetermine forms of behavior, and inclinations are not formed in it. A person’s nervous system determines his temperament; the choice of activity by each person depends on it.
The conducted research allows us to assert that inclinations are determined by the social environment. Training and upbringing fundamentally influence behavior and psychological state. Studies have been conducted to identify differences in abilities between men and women. In childhood, there was no significant difference in abilities. But with age, when life experience accumulates, when professional activity leaves its mark, the differences become more pronounced. Men who engage in physical labor have more developed coordination of movements, they do not experience difficulties with orientation in space, etc. Women have better developed speech, faster speed of information perception, counting, etc. Thus, the social environment has a direct impact on the formation of abilities , complementing and developing biological ones.
The Birth of Abilities
Biological abilities inherent from birth are supplemented by social ones, characteristic only of humans, namely: painting pictures, composing poetry, speaking several languages, etc. It is argued that these abilities do not have a biological origin and depend on:
The social and cultural environment in which a person exists;
What a person does and the activities in which a person takes part;
The presence of people around a person who have knowledge and are able to convey it;
The presence of restrictions in which a person can or is forced to be.
The above conditions contribute to the transformation of man into a social being. It is the social and cultural environment that contributes to the development of abilities. Parents include their children in the process of developing their abilities, but already, as adults, they independently acquire and develop other abilities, feeling the need for them. Parents or other adults provide targeted acquisition of abilities with the help of educational tools and provide educational influence. His existing inclinations and social environment ensure his achievement of success in life.
Is it possible to develop abilities?
As stated above, inclinations, before becoming the basis of abilities, must also go through a certain path of development. Initially, this is the physical formation of the body, when at a young age the coordination connections located in the cerebral cortex with the organs of movement are improved, which becomes the basis for the formation of abilities. In fact, specific abilities begin to develop during the period of assimilation of knowledge, especially in younger and middle ages. The formation is influenced by the acquired knowledge and work practice, games that encourage the development of creative, design, visual and organizational abilities. At school, a comprehensive approach to the simultaneous comprehension of several abilities is important. Children gain knowledge in lessons, improve their speech, and develop interpersonal relationships. Complexity is one of the most important conditions for the fact that not only the emergence of abilities occurs, but also their formation and development. But at the same time, certain conditions must be met: the activity must be based on learning something new, the level of difficulty should not exceed the possibility, there must be a desire to accomplish something, which must be accompanied by a positive attitude during the activity and after its completion.
When an activity contains elements of creativity, it becomes attractive. If at the same time something new is created, and the child discovers new possibilities in himself, then these stimulate him to further actions and teach him to overcome difficulties. Of course, this generates self-confidence and a sense of satisfaction. When performing too simple actions, the already acquired abilities are realized; when performing complex ones, when the result is not achieved, motivation disappears, and new skills are not formed. It is important to maintain interest and stimulate progress during the activity. Developing abilities is learning something. The emotional mood brings great benefits. In the process of activity, failures are possible, but they must be followed by successes, and the more, the better.
Was last modified: April 20th, 2019 by Elena Pogodaeva
Academic year
Part A
1. The state is the concept:
a) political;
b) social;
c) geographical;
d) economic
2. Patriots are:
a) people who were born in the same place
b) those who love their homeland
c) citizens of one country
d) workers of an industrial enterprise.
3. A young person becomes an adult at:
a) 15 years; b) 16 years old; in 17 years; d) 18 years old;
4. The one who offers a job is called:
a) an employee;
b) manager;
c) economist;
d) employer
5. The head of state in the Russian Federation is:
a) Chairman of the Government;
b) Chairman of the Federation Council;
c) President of the Russian Federation;
d) Chairman of the State Duma.
6. The very first democratic state appeared in:
a) Ancient Egypt;
b) Ancient Babylon;
c) Ancient Greece;
d) Ancient Rome.
7. Our Motherland is called:
a) Russian Empire;
b) Russian Republic;
c) Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic;
d) Russian Federation.
8. The subject of the Russian Federation in which you live is called:
a) Saratov region;
b) Saratov region;
c) Saratov province;
d) Saratov Land.
9. Which variant is the error? Man differs from animals in that
a) knows how to make tools;
b) speaks well;
c) has thinking;
d) lives by instincts.
10. You can independently manage the income received with:
a) 18 years old; b) 14 years old; c) 16 years old; d) 21 years old.
11. You can make small household transactions with:
a) 14 years old; b) 16 years old; c) 6 years; d) 18 years old.
12. A model, something perfect, the highest goal of aspirations is called:
a) morality;
b) value;
c) ideal;
d) right
13. According to the law, the source of power in the Russian Federation is:
a) multinational people;
b) President of the Russian Federation;
c) Federal Assembly;
d) Government of the Russian Federation.
14. Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Benefit, Justice, Freedom. What these concepts have in common is that they are:
a) ideal;
b) spiritual values;
c) good;
d) morality.
15. The majority of the population of our country is:
a) residents of megacities;
b) city residents;
c) summer residents;
d) residents of suburban areas.
Part B
Q 1. Determine whether the “yes” or “no” statements are true or false.
a) Every person has the right to choose a profession
b) The law allows night work for everyone
c) The Constitution is called the fundamental law of the country
d) In Russian society, individualism and selfishness are more valued
e) Consciousness is characteristic of both humans and animals
Answers:
Q 2. Below are a number of terms. All of them, with the exception of one, relate to values.
1) Find and indicate the “extra” word
2) Explain its meaning
Morality, goodness, ethics, noble deeds, evil
Answers:
1) ___________________________________________________________________
2) ____________________
B 3. Insert the necessary words in place of the blanks:
1) Sciences that study living and inanimate nature are called ________________.
2) Sciences that study man, the forms of people living together are called _____________.
Q 4. From the list provided, select only the features of rural life:
a) their life is not rich in historical events
b) there is running water and heating here...
c) increased noise, dusty atmosphere
d) a person is busy with housework and crafts
d) poor health
f) “poking” and calling each other by name is recognized here
g) non-working neighbors look after the children
h) a large number of courtyards, highways, parks
Answer: ____________________ .
Q 5. Collect words from fragments:
ON STI STV IN TRACE OST NKT ENN
Answer 1) _______________________
2) _______________________ .
Task 2.
According to modern ideas, man is a product
A) material development c) social development
B) spiritual activity d) intervention of extraterrestrial intelligence
2. Individuality is
A) biological characteristics of a person
B) specific manifestation of human, social, spiritual and psychological characteristics
B) developed personality
Man, according to modern ideas, is a being
A) spiritual b) biological
B) social d) biosocial
Human capabilities and abilities
A) depend only on a person’s personal efforts; c) are completely determined by the social environment
B) are entirely determined biologically; d) are determined by hereditary characteristics,
social environment and human will