Learning and Environment

On August 15, 1977, the world lost one of its greatest psychologists Alexander R. Luria. Honoured and respected in many countries of the world, Luria's 300 scientific works have been translated into English and have influenced thinking in the fields of psychology, neurology and neuropsychology, education and speech pathology.

Luria's first translated work, Nature of Human Conflicts (1932), supported the idea that human behaviour could not be reduced to a sum of neurological reflexes. He urged the study of the specific systems of behaviour produced in the process of the individual's social and historical development.

Luria's psychology concentrates on the development of mental capacities through learning. The correct organization of a child's learning leads to mental development. One does not wait for a child to be “ready” to learn to read, for example, but teaches the child the pre-reading skills at the level at which he or she is functioning. In turn, the child's knowledge influences the structure of his intellectual processes. Learning is a social-historic process.

Luria and his team investigated such mental processes as perception, ability to generalize, logical reasoning, imagination and self-awareness. Luria’s team discovered that new structures of cognitive activity appeared. Human consciousness was developing to a higher level as the society was transformed.

Luria was a true scientist and a true humanist who contributed to a social progress and to the development of human capacity.

12. Pick out the words from the text which may be grouped under the heading “Psychology. General Notions”.