DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

The Department of Psychology, as a separate scientific and methodological unit, was organized on December 21, 1965. Its first head was candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor S. Kondratyeva. She held this position until June 1977. From 1977 to 1987, the department was headed or its duties were performed by candidates of Psychological sciences, associate professors B. Rozdobudko, M. Popov, and M. Shkulenda. Since 1988, the department has been headed by Doctor of Psychological Sciences M. Savchin.

Under the leadership of S. Kondratyeva, the department became one of the scientific centers in Ukraine studying the problem of social perception. This was preceded by connections with the Institute of Psychology of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the USSR and the Departments of Psychology of Leningrad University. As a result of extensive research on this issue, a number of candidate dissertations were prepared and defended (V. Rozdobudko, M. Popov, L. Bazilevska, N. Skotna), as well as the doctoral dissertation of S. Kondratyeva. In 1993, a collective monograph “Pedagogy of Communication: Practical Issues” (authors: V. Rozdobudko, M. Savchyn, N. Skotna) was prepared at the department.

With the development of the scientific potential of the department, the interests of the teachers significantly expanded. Firstly, research on the problem of social perception continued, focusing on understanding the genesis and mechanisms of interpersonal understanding and analysis of the social-perceptive abilities of the individual. Secondly, the problem of Personality Psychology and Educational Psychology was studied at the theoretical and experimental levels. Thirdly, considerable research interest was devoted to the problem of pedagogical interaction, which is relevant for a pedagogical university. Fourthly, the department’s staff dealt with the issues of training practical psychologists. Finally, historical issues were studied at the department, including the psychological views of I. Franko and problems of Developmental Psychology.

The department has repeatedly been appointed as the leading organization in defending candidate dissertations. In recent years, a significant number of publications have been prepared by the teachers, including the aforementioned collective monograph and the monographic work “Psychology of the Sick” by M. Savchyn (in collaboration), “Psychology of Responsible Behavior” (M. Savchyn). Chapters of the monographs were authored by associate professors M. Popov, V. Rozdobudko, N. Skotna.

From 1973 to 1999, sixteen teachers defended their candidate dissertations. In 1997, the head of the department, M. Savchyn, defended his doctoral dissertation.

For five years, the Psychology Department of the institute there successfully operated a laboratory of automated systems for psychological and pedagogical research, where studies on various issues were completed.

Since April 2015, the Research Laboratory “Modeling Educational Technologies” has been functioning (headed by L. P. Vasylenko). The aim of the laboratory is to optimize and model the educational process of the higher education institution, ensure the development of the educational space on an innovative basis, and provide scientific and methodological support for innovative activities in teaching psychological disciplines.