Mental Model

A Mental Model is a thought framework that helps create conceptual understandings (that support cognitive tasks).

• AKA: Cognitive Model, Conceptual Framework, Mental Framework.
• Context:
  • It can typically provide Cognitive Structure through knowledge organization.
  • It can typically enable Pattern Recognition through mental representation.
  • It can typically support Decision Making through conceptual framework.
  • It can typically guide Problem Solving through cognitive mapping.
  • It can typically enhance Learning Process through knowledge integration.
  • It can typically inform UI Design Task through user understanding.
  • It can often facilitate Knowledge Transfer through analogical thinking.
  • It can often improve Situation Assessment through mental simulation.
  • It can often support Prediction Making through pattern matching.
  • It can often enable Information Processing through cognitive filtering.
  • It can often guide Semantic Model creation through meaning representation.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Simple Heuristic to being a Complex Framework, depending on its cognitive complexity.
  • It can range from being a Personal Understanding to being a Shared Framework, depending on its social distribution.
  • It can range from being a Domain Specific Model to being a Universal Model, depending on its application scope.
  • It can range from being a Default Mental Model to being an Expert Mental Model, depending on its sophistication level.
  • ...
  • It can have Accuracy Levels varying with domain expertise.
  • It can have Update Processes through learning experiences.
  • It can have Validation Methods through practical application.
  • It can influence Social Identity through group perceptions.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Cognitive Mental Models, such as:
    • Language Processing Models, such as:
      • Anaphora Resolution Model for reference understanding.
      • Text Comprehension Model for discourse processing.
    • Interface Models, such as:
      • UI Design Mental Model for user interaction.
      • System Behavior Model for interface expectations.
  • Scientific Mental Models, such as:
    • Physics Models, such as:
      • Newtonian Mechanics for physical systems.
      • Atomic Model for matter structure.
    • Biological Models, such as:
      • Evolutionary Framework for species development.
      • Cell Theory for biological organization.
  • Business Mental Models, such as:
    • Economic Models, such as:
      • Supply Demand Framework for market behavior.
      • Cost Benefit Analysis for decision evaluation.
    • Strategic Models, such as:
      • Competitive Analysis Framework for market positioning.
      • Growth Strategy Model for business development.
  • System Mental Models, such as:
    • Feedback Loops for system behavior.
    • Emergence Patterns for complex systems.
  • Behavioral Mental Models, such as:
    • Thinking Small approach for problem decomposition.
    • Social Interaction Model for group dynamics.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Raw Data Collections, which lack organizational framework.
  • Emotional Reactions, which lack cognitive structure.
  • Random Thoughts, which lack systematic pattern.
  • Instinctive Responses, which lack conceptual framework.
• See: Mindset, Semantic Model, Social Identity, Anaphora Resolution System, Default Mental Model, UI Design Task, Cognitive Framework, Knowledge Structure, Learning Pattern, Thinking Small, Cognitive Model, Reality, Mind, Hypothesis, Cognition, Reasoning, Decision-Making, Kenneth Craik, Models, Behaviour, Psychology.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_model Retrieved:2024-12-7.
  • A mental model is an internal representation of external reality: that is, a way of representing reality within one's mind. Such models are hypothesized to play a major role in cognition, reasoning and decision-making. The term for this concept was coined in 1943 by Kenneth Craik, who suggested that the mind constructs "small-scale models" of reality that it uses to anticipate events. Mental models can help shape behaviour, including approaches to solving problems and performing tasks.

    In psychology, the term mental models is sometimes used to refer to mental representations or mental simulation generally. The concepts of schema and conceptual models are cognitively adjacent. Elsewhere, it is used to refer to the "mental model" theory of reasoning developed by Philip Johnson-Laird and Ruth M. J. Byrne.

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