Psychosemantics as a method of studying unconscious attitudes in the context of solving complex problems

The article explores unconscious attitudes that shape cognitive patterns for perceiving and solving complex tasks under conditions of uncertainty. The relevance of the study is determined by the necessity to overcome the limitations of traditional models focused on conscious strategies and to shift towards analyzing implicit factors that significantly determine the success of intellectual activity. Particular attention is paid to situations requiring a creative approach, where unconscious semantic structures of consciousness act as a key filter for interpreting the problem field. The research is based on the psychosemantic paradigm, which allows for the reconstruction of deep evaluation criteria through the analysis of subjective semantic spaces. This approach enables the operationalization of a subject's implicit expectations before task solving begins, revealing hidden coordinates that form an anticipatory image of the problem, set the trajectory for solution search, and mediate the interaction between affective and cognitive components of thinking. The primary method was a laboratory experiment using an original semantic differential (17 bipolar scales) adapted for task perception assessment. The sample consisted of 72 respondents (aged 18–44). Data processing involved factor analysis (principal axis factoring with oblimin rotation), correlation analysis, and graphical analysis. A valid tool for diagnosing unconscious attitudes towards a task was developed and tested. The structure of the "task" semantic space was revealed, with its key dimensions being "Emotional and Motivational Attractiveness" (32% of variance, α=0.938) and "Structural Clarity and Creative Potential" (20% of variance, α=0.864), which are strongly positively correlated (r=0.850). It was established that the "ideal" and "undesirable" tasks occupy semantically opposite positions within this space. The findings contribute to understanding the unity of affective and cognitive processes in problem situation perception. The theoretical significance of the work lies in the development of a context-specific tool, while its practical significance lies in identifying the implicit criteria that subjects unconsciously use to evaluate and choose solution strategies, opening up possibilities for optimizing the organization of creative activity. It is shown that the semantic space of a task is not universal and reflects the interaction of the task's objective characteristics and the subject's cognitive styles.