Transformation of the Cognitive Sphere of Adolescents of the "Digital Generation" (Psychoanalytic Approach)

The article is devoted to a psychoanalytic study of the influence of information and computer technologies on the cognitive development of the personality of modern adolescents. We consider cognitive processes through the theory of two types of thinking (the primary, a deeply unconscious process characterized by concreteness, visual imagery, and symbolism; and the secondary, characterized by rationality, orderliness, and logic). The present study was conducted with students in grades 10-11 who study in-depth the areas of "Pedagogy and Psychology", mathematics and information technology (M&IT). There were 152 people aged 16-17 (62 girls and 90 boys). In the course of the study, we found that M&IT students have more pronounced positive dynamics in the development of logical auditory, short-term visual memory for numbers and images than students in psychology (they interact less with information and computer technologies). The revealed differences are statistically significant at the significance level of p<0.05. There is a slight positive trend in concentration among "psychologists", while "mathematicians" have a negative trend (the number of students with low levels of concentration has increased, the number of students with high levels has decreased), which may be due to an increase in the amount of data that mathematicians have to deal with (almost monotonous information leads to a decrease in concentration). We have shown the relationship between the orientation of learning, type of thinking and the use of computer technology.; This means that computer technologies can contribute to the development of mental functions if they are used to solve information problems, and not just satisfy the need for communication.