Uznadze’s Theory of Set: Experimental Diagnostics and Neurocognitive Implications

The paradigm of set, developed by the Georgian psychologist D.N. Uznadze, represents a foundational contribution to the science of non-conscious behavioral regulation. This preprint provides a comprehensive analysis of the set phenomenon, revisiting its core premise as a holistic, pre-conscious state that arises from the interaction of a subject's need and the objective situation. We systematically examine the classical haptic methodology and its modern modifications, including visual, computerized, and cross-modal paradigms. The analysis confirms the diagnostic power of set parameters, linking individual differences in set strength and lability to cognitive rigidity or flexibility. Furthermore, we integrate classical theory with contemporary neuroscience, framing set within the predictive coding framework and identifying its neurophysiological substrates in a distributed network including the basal ganglia, prefrontal cortex, and sensory association cortices. The preprint concludes by highlighting the paradigm's significant potential as a quantitative diagnostic tool and proposes future research directions, including the exploration of its neurochemical bases and its role in social cognition.