The ideas of E. P. Ilyin and their implementation in our research

Abstract

The author describes meeting E. P. Ilyin in 1974 at the All-Union Scientific and Practical Conference devoted to the current issues of physical culture and sport, which was held at the Faculty of Physical Education of Kazan State Pedagogical Institute (where the author worked as a teaching assistant at the Department of Gymnastics). Professor Ilyin and the author established rapport during that memorable first encounter and enjoyed good fellowship since. Fate decreed that in 1978 the author was enrolled as a Doctoral student at the Department of Ergonomics and Engineering Psychology, and Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor Ilyin was appointed as his Thesis Director. In their further research, the author implemented Ilyin’s ideas, i.e. “on the unjustified approach to the assessment of the nervous system properties, dividing them into ‘good’ and ‘bad’, suggested by I. P. Pavlov”; “on indisputable advantages of a ‘weak’ nervous system in certain types of employment activities”; and “on the model of professional skill in the form of a four-sided pyramid”. To determine the strength of the nervous system, Ilyin proposed the “Tapping test” motor technique, which the author of this paper tested for validity. The outcomes of a study conducted by the author in cooperation with two colleagues substantiated the validity of the “Tapping test” as a motor technique for determining the “strength-weakness” of the nervous system. The results of the study were published in 1981 (Tolstov, Tsagarelli, Fukin 1981). Long-term research conducted by the author revealed that employees with a monotone-resistant typological complex, where a “weak” nervous system is the underlying factor, have a distinct advantage in performing repetitive activities (Fukin 2003). In accordance with Ilyin’s model, the author identified professional orientation, skills (competence), knowledge, and professional traits as the pillars of success in the professional activities of fitters employed in conveyor method production. The author’s research results suggest that the employer who possesses all the listed components of professional activity becomes an authoritative expert in his profession and a recognised craftsman (Fukin 2003).