Main directions of improving professional thinking of psychology students

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of directions for improving professional thinking in psychology students. Based on the analysis of modern domestic and foreign literature on the problem of professional thinking, three main directions of its improvement are identified – the development of critical thinking, taking into account the cognitive-style organization of thinking, and the development of diagnostic thinking. The first direction reveals the specifics and functions of critical thinking, approaches to its understanding, the relationship of critical thinking with metacognition as knowledge of one’s cognitive activity, and outlines ways to form critical thinking. When describing the second direction, the author defines the cognitive style of thinking, notes its relationship with metacognitive abilities, provides data from psychological research in the field of education and professional activity, and draws attention to the fact that cognitive styles determine the success of various types of professional activity. In the third direction of improving professional thinking, the author shows the specifics of diagnostic thinking as a special type of cognitive and practical activity, presents data from empirical studies, and describes a new automated computer system designed to form the diagnostic skills of a psychologist in solving cause-and-effect diagnostic problems. It is noted that the development of diagnostic thinking using an automated system is possible by solving training cases created based on real cases from the diagnostic consulting practice of a psychologist. It is shown that this technology can be used not only for the formation of diagnostic thinking, but also for critical thinking.