The increased heterogeneity of ISS crews' composition (in terms of nationality, profession and gender) together with stressful situations, due to space flight, can have significant impact on group interaction, cohesiveness, as well as communications with Mission Control Center and mission success in general. Culturally related differences in values, goals, and behavioral norms could influence mutual perception and, thus, cohesive group formation. The purpose of onboard "Interaction-Attitudes" experiment is to study the patterns of small group (space crew) behavior in extended space flight. Onboard studies were performed in the course of ISS Missions 19-30 with participation of twelve Russian crew-members. Experimental schedule included 3 phases: preflight training and Baseline Data Collection; inflight activities once in two weeks; post-flight measurement. We used Personal Self-Perception and Attitudes (PSPA) software for analyzing subjects' attitudes toward social environment (crew-members and MCC). It is based on the semantic differential of Ch. Osgood and the repertory grid technique of G. Kelly. To study the content of interpersonal perception we used content-analysis with participation of the experts, independently attributing each construct to the 17 meaningful categories, which were described in our previous study. The obtained data demonstrate that the system of values and personal orientations in the majority of participated cosmonauts remained mostly stable under stressfactors of extended space flight. Content-analysis of the important criteria elaborated by the subjects for evaluation of social environment, showed that the most valuable personal traits for cosmonauts are those that provide the successful fulfillment of professional activity (motivation, intellectual level, knowledge, self-discipline) and good social relationships (sociability, friendship, tolerance), as well. Study of changes in perceptions, regarding Real Self and Ideal Self, showed no significant difference between images of representatives of foreign space agencies and Russian crewmembers after space flight. A certain difference in perceptions was observed in cosmonauts with more integrated system of evaluations: after space flight they perceived foreign participants closer to their Ideal, while Russian crew-members were perceived mostly as "distant" from Ideal Self of these subjects. Perceptions of people from Earth were also more critical. These differences are probably manifestations of stereotyping of interpersonal perception – a phenomenon that can be both a cause and a consequence of tension in relationships. A set of parameters, representing the integrity level of the subject's interpersonal perception as an indicator of interpersonal stress in the crew was proposed. It can be used in practice of psychological selection and inflight support.
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