КОГНИТИВНЫЕ АСПЕКТЫ ВЛИЯНИЯ ИСКУССТВА НА ДЕТСКОЕ МЫШЛЕНИЕ В ЦИФРОВУЮ ЭПОХУ

Purpose of the study is to identify the cognitive effects and patterns of influence of visual and musical arts on the development of thinking in children of Generations Z and Alpha («digital natives»). Methodological framework is built on an interdisciplinary synthesis integrating: 1) cultural-historical and archetypal approaches (L. S. Vygotsky, C. G. Jung) for analyzing the socio-cultural role of art; 2) fractal and hypernetwork approaches (H.-O. Peitgen, K. V. Anokhin, T. V. Chernigovskaya) for investigating the structural and dynamic mechanisms of art’s impact on the brain and thinking; 3) analysis of digital practices to assess the specifics of art perception in Generations Z and Alpha. Results demonstrate that engagement with the arts purposefully develops creativity, executive functions, spatial thinking, memory, and attention, which is supported by empirical data. The epistemological status of art as an alternative, figurative-symbolic mode of cognition, complementary to scientific-rational cognition and rooted in the archetypal foundations of children’s creativity, is substantiated. In the context of digital environment risks (fragmented «clip» thinking, superficiality), an ethical-axiological question is raised regarding the quality of aesthetic experience and the cultivation of the ability to distinguish between genuine artistic content and superficial simulacra. Research prospects are associated with the development of pedagogical strategies for the balanced integration of artistic practices aimed at the formation of «flexible intelligence» and a responsible, reflective personality capable of innovation.