Russian Perceptions of Erroneous Activity in the World of Associative Experiment.

The article presents the results of a directed associative experiment, which is an effective method of revealing the range of associations illustrating the peculiarities of Russian speakers’ perception of the phenomena of the surrounding world. The respondents were asked to name behaviors or actions that can be characterized as erroneous. The received answers constitute an associative-verbal field, in which we distinguished two types of reactions: the first – when the subject’s actions with regard to himself are recognized as erroneous, and the second – when the erroneous action causes harm to another person. The responses are categorized into 8 groups according to the semantic criterion, which allows us to judge the life spheres relevant to the speakers of language and culture. These are such groups as “mistakes related to marriage and choosing a life partner”; “mistakes related to choosing a profession and job”; “unwise spending of money” and others. The largest group consists of actions falling under the heading “mistakes consisting in violation
of generally accepted ethical norms”.