Classification of objects - Rubinstein's technique

A fairly simple, but extremely effective system for assessing the psychological state of a person, used both in Russia and abroad, was proposed by our compatriot, the scientist Sergei Leonidovich Rubinstein. The methodology “classification of objects”, created at the end of the last century, retains the status of one of the most popular in modern psychology.

Creator identity

Sergey Leonidovich Rubinstein is one of the most prominent Russian scientists of the twentieth century in the field of philosophy and psychology. Based on a system of philosophical views on the psychological nature of man, Rubinstein was able to create a philosophical and psychological concept of man. It summarized the activity, behavioral, conscious, spiritual and psychological life of the individual.

Rubinstein's studies and the works compiled on their basis created the foundation for the development of psychology both in Russia and in the world. For example, the methodology "Classification of objects" is used to assess the psychological state of a person at the present time.

Unfortunately, Sergei Leonidovich was forced to prematurely interrupt his scientific activities - the outbreak of war against the "cosmopolitans" became the reason for his dismissal.

One of the results of the scrupulous work of S. L. Rubinstein is a system for identifying psychological deviations, called “Classification of objects” - a technique that allows, through simple tests, to analyze the psychological state of a person. The system was proposed by K. Goldstein, and developed by L. S. Vygotsky, B. V. Zeygarnik and S. L. Rubinshtein.

Pathopsychology Development

The events of the middle of the twentieth century were obliged to isolate pathopsychology into a separate branch of science. Bloody wars and diseases that arise among the participants in hostilities, manifested in a violation of the functions of thinking, have led to the need to search for new mechanisms to combat psychological disorders.

Well-known psychologists, including S. L. Rubinstein, helped to rehabilitate patients in military hospitals. Their experimental studies have made an invaluable contribution to the domestic psychological science, as well as to the process of achieving victory.

It was during the Second World War that invaluable empirical data were accumulated that laid the foundation for pathopsychological science, which was formed as a separate institution of knowledge only by the 80s, and the “Classification of objects” was developed — a technique that allows, through a simple analysis, to identify psychological illnesses in a subject.

Principles of Pathopsychology

Pathopsychology is a differentiated direction of clinical psychology.

• Subject of study - mental disorders and disorders.
• The task is to identify the causes of the disease, the degree of its progression and the search for ways to cure this disease.
• Methods - psychological analysis and tests that allow you to analyze the psychological state of a person, identify skills of differentiation, identification of objects, thinking.

One of the most common among them is the "Classification of objects" - a technique compiled by S. L. Rubinstein to identify psychological disorders in humans, in particular, problems with logic and conclusions.

The analysis method is an experiment. Unlike the classical tools of psychology - tests, the experiment has no time limits. On the contrary, such an indicator as the time taken to complete the task allows, depending on the complexity of the task, to draw reliable conclusions about the psychological state of the subject.

The value of the "Classification of objects"

“Classification of objects” - a technique designed to analyze the concentration of attention of the subject, as well as to assess its overall performance. In contrast to another technique - “Exclusion of objects”, where the emphasis is on the analysis of the logical thinking of a person, the study of the validity of his generalizations, that is, by induction, the classification method implies deductive analysis. The procedure for "classification" of objects is more time-consuming than their "exclusion". In this regard, the test subject is required high performance.

Methodical support

Today, in every first healthcare institution, as well as in kindergartens and schools, the “Classification of subjects” methodology is used to study the psychological state of people. The stimulus material used for analysis is a deck of cards with images corresponding to the psychological state and mood of the patient. According to various sources, the deck should consist of 68-70 cards. Due to the fact that the methodology is regularly being improved, it is quite possible that their number will gradually increase or decrease.

The main condition for the teaching material is the use of cards of an established pattern. The image, the main strokes in the figure, its color and appearance, as well as the paper should be made in accordance with the template developed by the laboratory of experimental pathopsychology of the Institute of Psychiatry of the Ministry of Health of the RSFSR. Since all these indicators are important for the experiment, the results of a study performed using non-standard cards are invalid.

Typical card images

It is worth noting that the methodology “Classification of images of objects” was subjected to modernization - it was proposed to replace the images with cards with the words corresponding to them. As experience has shown, the “Classification of words” technique is notable for generalization, but difficulties in the field of concentration of attention and memory.

List of words (examples):

• Apple tree;

• TV;
  
• flashlight, etc.

Order of conduct

One of the easiest ways to detect psychological abnormalities is the “Classification of objects” technique. Study Instructions:

• Stage 1. “Deaf instruction” - the subject is asked to arrange the cards provided for the experiment into groups. At the same time, the tester does not give clear instructions on what criteria should combine the concepts indicated on the methodological cards. If the subject asks how groups should be formed, the experiment leader should recommend referring only to his own opinion.
• Stage 2. Periodic assessment - the head of the experiment should ask the subject about the criteria for grouping. All statements must be recorded in the control form. If the formation of the groups was carried out on the basis of the correct criteria, the leader should praise or criticize the work of the subject. The response of the test subject must also be recorded in the control form.
• Stage 3. The head suggests combining the created groups of cards into larger ones. The generalization criterion also remains with the subject.

Next, an assessment of the results of the work.

Features of Pediatric Pathopsychology

To study the psychological state of children, the “Classification of objects” technique is also used. The “children's” version of the procedure for conducting the study is practically no different from the “adult”. The only exception is the number of cards. To work with children, depending on their age, it is necessary to remove from the deck all cards with images unknown to the child. In case of successful passing the test, as an experiment and to determine the level of its development, we can suggest adding an “adult” card to each of the groups, be sure to find out the reason for choosing one or another aggregate group.

However, due to the high psychological, mental and time costs, this technique is rarely used to analyze the psychological state of children. The exception is research for the identification of schizophrenic processes. In such cases, reliable indicators can only be achieved by using these techniques together - classification and subsequent exclusion of objects.

Analysis of experimental data

Problems of psychological development with a high degree of probability for doctors demonstrate the methodology "Classification of objects." Interpretation of the results indicates the presence of a particular disease and depends on the following factors:

1. The correctness of the allocation of the classification feature.

2. The logical formation of groups.

In this case, it is worth paying special attention to the justification of the choice of assigning a picture to a particular group. For example, some subjects attributed the spoon to tools, since with it, women darn tights, and a cleaner to medical staff, referring to sterility.

Attention should also be paid to the persistence with which the subject proves his point of view.

Correlation of the results of psychological techniques

The data obtained as a result of the “Classification of objects” methodology is usually analyzed through the prism of the data of the “Exclusion of objects” methodology, since the two indicated systems for analyzing a person’s psychological state are aimed at studying rationality of thinking. The information obtained as a result of their implementation demonstrates the complete pathopsychological picture of the individual.

It is also possible to use this technique with other test and experimental systems. However, do not forget that if a person has psychological illnesses, each of the tests performed will require a large amount of labor costs, and therefore the effectiveness of each subsequent experiment will decrease.

Of course, conducting an experiment and analyzing its results requires appropriate knowledge and skills. However, if you decide to conduct a general analysis of the child’s psychological development, you can also use the “Classification of objects” technique. Of course, it will not be possible to obtain accurate data, but filling the playing time with entertaining tasks will be extremely useful.