Representations of real and virtual space and time: age aspect
The authors analyze the features of representations of real and virtual space and time in mentally healthy people of different ages. The in uence of environmental and socio-cultural factors on the nature of these representations is also discussed. The analysis of the data of classical and modern scientific research on the sequence of formation of representations of space and time in ontogenesis is carried out. The role of these representations in the development of other mental functions is shown, as well as the contribution of biological and environmental determinants to the success of the development of representations of space and time. Particular attention is paid to the ambiguous influence of digital environment factors on the development and functioning of ideas about space and time in different periods of ontogenesis. It has been demonstrated that cognitive and emotional development in primary school and adolescence is vulnerable to the negative impact of digital technologies. According to the authors, in old age, the risk of developing digital addiction is not so significant; reasonable and moderate use of digital technologies can contribute to optimizing the performance of a number of spatial and temporal operations during this age period. The authors pay special attention to the data on the time perspective of the individual in different periods of life, in particular, the perception of the future by adolescents and young people in conditions of frustration. According to various studies, the image of the future among young people is strongly stereotyped. Few people imagine a picture of some special, super-original future. An important component of the problem of young people’s ideas about their future is the relationship between the nature of these ideas and the socio-economic context against which the adolescent stage of socialization of the younger generation unfolds. The article also discusses the features of the time perspective of a person in old age. It was revealed that mentally healthy people of late age are somewhat more focused on the negative aspects of their own past than young people. They are less inclined to perceive the present as a source of pleasure and enjoyment and rely more on fate. It is suggested that in the last two years, the nature of the time perspective in mentally healthy elderly people could have changed significantly due to the negative environmental factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic situation.