ABSTRACT
The concept of activity (deyatel’nost’) plays a key role in Russian psychology and ergonomics. It is roughly comparable to the English term “behavior,” but it is not the same and the differences are instructive. The construct of behavior emphasizes the similarities between human and nonhuman activities, and as a consequence it overlooks some of what is considered to be human functioning. The behavior construct is associated with stimulus-response psychology. Consequently, it is virtually unused in the former Soviet Union. Instead, the concept of activity that emphasizes the specificity of human behavior and its connection with internal mental processes plays a central role in Soviet psychology.
