BIOLOGICAL OBJECTS REFLECTED IN THE VERBAL ASSOCIATIONS OF BULGARIAN TEENAGERS

The article aims to introduce the reader with the results from the second part of a survey on the concept of “Nature” in the minds of 13-year-old Bulgarian students. This time, we focus on the question: What biological objects and knowledge are reflected in the verbal associations of the students? The method of study used is a chain associative experiment carried out following the S (stimulus) – Ri (reactions) pattern. Each participant is required to write down the first 7 words that come to their mind when the word "nature" is pronounced. 1400 reactions are used to reconstruct the associative fields objectifying the conscious and unconscious layers of the cultural concept of ‘nature' in the linguistic consciousness of the participants (100 students in the 6th and 100 students in the 7th grade). We analyze 988 words-reactions that have connection to the biological aspects of the concept of “Nature”. We have also described how the associative experiment became a stimulus for organizing a competition for best painting and essay on the subject of “Me and Nature” at a school in Sliven.