cognitive activity

The article analyses the cognitive and pragmatic functions of anthropomorphic metaphor in contemporary English-language discourse relating to project management and innovative information technologies. Particular attention is devoted to the conceptual mechanisms through which human characteristics, physiological states, cognitive processes and social relationships are projected onto abstract technological phenomena and corporate management practices. The study investigates the role of anthropomorphic metaphor in the formation of specialised terminology, the conceptualisation of complex digital processes and the facilitation of professional communication within multicultural corporate environments. Drawing upon the cognitive theory of metaphor, the research employs corpus-based analysis using Corpus Query Language (CQL) to identify, extract and classify metaphorical expressions occurring in technical documentation and professional project management communications. The analysis examines representative terminological units, including parent/child process, orphan file, zombie process, dead code, AI hallucinations, handshake, project health check and post-mortem, with particular emphasis on their underlying source domains and communicative implications. The findings reveal systematic patterns of metaphorical conceptualisation across two principal areas: innovative IT technologies and corporate project management. Technological processes are frequently represented through metaphors associated with human mortality, vitality and cognitive activity, whereas managerial practices draw extensively upon models of physical health, social interaction and interpersonal relationships. Three principal pragmatic functions of anthropomorphic metaphors are identified: cognitive-heuristic, communicativemanagerial and emotional-psychological. These functions contribute to the interpretation of complex technical phenomena, the establishment of shared professional terminology and the conceptual framing of organisational processes. The research further identifies the relevance of anthropomorphic terminology to intercultural professional communication, particularly in environments where English functions as a lingua franca. It is established that understanding the conceptual foundations of such expressions represents an important component of specialised linguistic competence among future engineers and IT professionals. The findings provide a theoretical and methodological basis for incorporating anthropomorphic terminology into English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction at technical universities, thereby supporting the development of professional communicative competence and intercultural adaptability in international technological and corporate contexts. Keywords: anthropomorphic metaphor, cognitive linguistics, IT discourse, project management, English for Specific Purposes.

The article discusses the synergetic approach to teaching chess—specifically, methods aimed at system comprehension, information processing, and child development—which can lead to the self-organization of the child's cognitive activity within the context of the cognitive schema proposed by Jean Piaget. The aim of the article is to substantiate the synergetic effects involved in the process of a preschooler's development. Research methodology and selected methods. Methodologically, we drew upon general systems theory, structural and functional approaches to chess instruction, and the theoretical and applied developments regarding the "activity concept"—as well as theories of argumentation and personality development—formulated by L. Vygotsky, A. Leontiev, A. Luria, and their followers. The methods employed included the analysis of professional literature, observation (of both moves and emotional states), interviews, experimentation, and the analysis of results. The study’s ultimate finding is that, through trial and error, imitation, or precise instruction by an adult, the processes of assimilation and accommodation become accessible to the child; their combination yields synergistic effects, manifesting as the purposeful organization and management of educational-cognitive activity. Therefore, theoretical-applied approaches that generate synergistic effects during chess instruction are applicable to the developmental process of preschoolers. Main conclusion: The feasibility of employing approaches that yield synergistic effects in the development of preschoolers and the self-organization of their activities is demonstrated.

Whether breadth of leisure activity engagement (LAE) is associated with cognitive resilience (CR) in older Chinese adults, and whether this association differs by gender, remain unclear. Using five waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2020), we estimated CR as the residual of global cognition after accounting for age, education, gender, residence, and chronic disease burden, and examined activity × gender interactions in generalized estimating equations ( n = 7130 observations from 3293 adults aged ≥60). Cognitive and social activity breadth were each independently associated with higher CR, but with contrasting domain patterns. Cognitive activities showed a linear dose-response with comparable associations in both genders (males β = 0.164, females β = 0.171, both p < 0.001; Activity × Gender interaction p = 0.435). Social activities followed a quadratic dose-response peaking at approximately three activity types. In gender-stratified models, the social-activity association was concentrated in males ( β = 0.164, p < 0.001) and was not significant among females ( β = 0.032, p = 0.323; activity × gender interaction β = −0.111, p = 0.020), despite higher social participation rates among women. Lagged analyses supported temporal precedence. These findings indicate that the resilience associations of LAE breadth in older Chinese adults are domain- and gender-dependent: cognitive activity breadth was positively associated with CR in both genders, whereas this association was concentrated in men for social activities. These findings warrant further investigation of whether the content, context, or measurement of social engagement contributes to the observed gender difference.

This article examines the socio-pedagogical and psychological significance of developing core competencies in preschool children aged 6–7. It analyzes the issues of ensuring continuity between preschool and primary education, implementing a learner-centered approach, and consistently developing communicative, social, cognitive, and personal competencies in children. Furthermore, the paper discusses the necessity of creating comprehensive pedagogical conditions for a child's successful adaptation to the school environment, their transition to a new social status, and the enhancement of their cognitive activity.

این مقاله به بررسی اهمیت اجتماعی-تربیتی و روان‌شناختی توسعه شایستگی‌های پایه در کودکان پیش‌دبستانی ۶ تا ۷ ساله می‌پردازد. در این پژوهش، مسائل مربوط به تضمین تداوم بین آموزش پیش‌دبستانی و ابتدایی، اجرای رویکرد یادگیرنده‌محور و توسعه مستمر شایستگی‌های ارتباطی، اجتماعی، شناختی و فردی در کودکان تحلیل می‌شود. همچنین، ضرورت ایجاد شرایط جامع تربیتی برای سازگاری موفق کودک با محیط مدرسه، گذار او به وضعیت اجتماعی جدید و ارتقای فعالیت شناختی وی مورد بحث قرار گرفته است.