FEATURES OF MEMORY TOKMO AKYNS

Abstract

This article presents a cognitive psychological analysis of memory processes in the creative activity of Kyrgyz improvisational poets (akyn-tökmö). Tökmö performance is a complex form of psychological activity that requires a high level of development of cognitive processes such as memory, attention, perception, thinking, and imagination. The purpose of the study is to identify the psychological mechanisms that enable tökmö poets to memorize a large number of poetic texts and melodic patterns and to respond rapidly to every utterance of an opponent during aitys competitions. The study is based on cognitive memory models proposed by J. Miller, the Atkinson–Shiffrin model, and the working memory framework of Baddeley and Hitch. The findings show that working, semantic, and verbal memory constitute the cognitive foundation of improvisational creativity in tökmö poets. The relevance of the study lies in the insufficient psychological research on improvisational oral art and the need to scientifically explain the cognitive nature of national oral traditions. The results have both theoretical and practical significance for the study of oral poetic heritage. In addition, the research considers experiential factors influencing memory development and emphasizes that the situational nature of tökmö performance requires rapid activation of cognitive processes.