Research directions of the department of developmental psychology: overview

The article provides an overview of the main research directions and empirical researches conducted by the De- partment of Developmental Psychology of Perm State University over the past five years. The main research areas are: individuality as an object of cognition and implicit and explicit attitudes and personality traits. The main idea of the first direction is that individuality is investigated from the position its’ knower. The following questions are in-vestigated: how the perception of individuality by another subject is held and what characteristics of individuality in the process of perception of another subject are the main and significant. The second area focuses on the study of re-flexive adaptations as part of theory of personality traits, which provides an individual adaptation and changes of personality. In addition, there are studies aimed to establish the role of genotype and environment in individual dif-ferences of personality traits and family factors as a determinant of individual differences. Some studies examine the role of biological factors in personality, as an example one of the studies reveals associations of cortisol as a stress marker and temperament characteristics. The newest research direction is «Dark triad» constellation of negative per-sonality traits which associate with choronotype and academic motivation.