ABSTRACT
In 1950 there took place a famous conference called by the Soviet Academy of Sciences. At this conference it was decided that future work in psychology should be centred around the development of Pavlov’s theories and methods of work. There is no doubt that Pavlovianism provides the materialist context for the psychological study of the organism, as well as establishing the fundamental laws of brain processes which provide the natural-scientific basis for the study of behaviour.
The discussions of 1950, in line with earlier Soviet discussions of the same themes, accepted a system of materialist monism, which is at once consistent, systematic, and potentially fruitful as a basis for the scientific study of human behaviour. This system differs from the earlier mechanistic schemes of (say) LaMettrie or Helmholtz in two ways. It recognizes (i) the existence of levels of function (mechanical, chemical, biological, psychological); and (ii) the need for a relatively independent science of psychology.
Pavlov investigated the general laws of nervous activity. But his own special contribution was to elaborate a science of higher nervous (cortical) activity with its own specific laws. The main content of his life’s work was the intensive study of what he called the first signalling system, that is, the relationships which develop as a result of experience and learning between the organism and the material objects and situations of its immediate environment. The second signalling system, by which he means human behaviour based on speech signals (with its own special laws), was mentioned by him as an extremely important extension of his work, and a completion of the study of the higher nervous activity of man. But unfortunately death prevented him from making any special contributions in this field.
The study of the second signalling system (which, of course, is not absolutely distinct from the first system) is especially 216within the province of psychological investigation. Pavlov’s conception of the second signalling system, which arises on the basis of, and obeys, in part, the same laws as the first signalling system, marches with the Leninist conception of reflection. The latter doctrine states that thought, emotion, volition, and all other psychological qualities and processes arise out of objective, environmental conditions and not from animality, unconscious urges, or self-existent ‘minds’ or souls. It teaches the unity of the mental and somatic, for which the Pavlov-Botkin conception of ‘nervism’ (the theory that the cortex is the supreme co-ordinator of all somatic processes) supplies the scientific foundation.
Thus the discussions of 1950 took Pavlovianism and Leninism as the twin pillars of Soviet psychology. These two systems provide the tools of conceptual analysis. It remains to be seen what use has been made of these tools over the succeeding decade.
