INTELLECT OF ADULTS: STRUCTURE AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT

In the article are presented psychological characteristics of the adult`s intellect, as well as analysis of the process and criteria of its development. Intellect is defined as a holistic (integral) mental formation which is responsible for the generation, construction and restructuring of the mental models of the world by putting out and solving problems. Іntellect has the intercognitive and metacognitive nature and different modalities depending on the specific problems and characteristics of the context in which they are carried out. Intellect as a mental formation is determined by the basic cognitions, but it is not limited by them. It includes also metacognitions (metacognitive integrators), the main of them - the intellectual initiation, reflection, decentration, intellectual strategies, skills and competences. The leading criteria of intellectual self-development are amplification and restructuring of the mental models of the world, the structural and functional integration of the intellect, qualitative changes in the content and set of intellectual actions, strengthening of the subject interpretation and reintepretation opportunities. Development of an adult intellect emerges as a mentally self-determined process, initiated by own problems, in other words, as a self-development. Fragments of the distance course "Intellectual and creative training of adults" aimed to the development of intellect of adults in a virtual educational environment are also presented in the article.