Developing and Evaluating Visual Analogies to Support Insight and Creative Problem Solving

The primary aim of this thesis is to gain a richer understanding of visual analogies for insight problem solving, and, in particular, how they can be better developed to ensure their effectiveness as hints. While much work has explored the role of visual analogies in problem solving and their facilitative role, only a few studies have analysed how they could be designed. This thesis employs a mixed method consisting of a practice-led approach for studying how visual analogies can be designed and developed and an experimental research approach for testing their effectiveness as hints for solving visual insight problems

The Effects of Strategy Training and Text Organization on Mental Models of Natural Causal Complex Systems

In the absence of direct experience with physical stimuli, people generate mental models to facilitate cognitive processes involved in problem solving. Mental models are viewed as internal representations that help people understand, reason about, predict, and investigate causal relationships contained within physical systems. In addition, more recent findings distinguish mental models from other mental representations by suggesting that people actively construct mental models, switch between different mental models of a given problem, and alternate between mental models and rules to solve problems. Piecemeal animation of a system’s action has been identified as the cognitive strategy people use to reason about dynamic physical systems. Emphasizing function over form in multimedia presentations about physical systems has been shown to improve the leaners’ mental models. Novice leaners’ mental models are reported to emphasize structure, while the experts’ mental models include more functional and behavioral elements. Mental models of causal complex systems that operate in perceptually novel environments remain largely unstudied. Two experiments were conducted to study peoples’ mental models of single and functionally coupled causal complex systems and investigate the influences of text organization and strategy training on novice learners’ mental model development. A modified version of the Structure Behavior Function (SBF) framework was developed to facilitate the investigation of mental models of causal complex systems. Results suggest that in the absence of explicit instruction, people utilize a combination of cognitive strategies ranging from rote memorization to piecemeal simulation of the systems’ functions to form incomplete, but coherent mental models of causal complex systems from text and static diagrams. A brief training session was effective in teaching novice learners to use envisioning strategy and help promote piecemeal animation of the system. Envisioning strategy training significantly improved the subjects’ mental model complexity as well as knowledge of structural, functional, and mechanistic components involved in achieving the systems’ overall functions in both single and functionally coupled causal complex systems (p<0.05). For the single causal complex system (CCS), function-salient text improved subjects’ structure and function subscores significantly (p<0.05), but did not affect the mechanism subscore. The interaction between text and strategy training was not significant. For the functionally coupled causal complex system (FC-CCS), text was not a significant predictor of mental model complexity or its subcomponents. The interaction between text and strategy training was also insignificant. Though subjects’ mental models included more structural than functional elements for both CCS and FC-CCS, majority demonstrated understanding of the overall systems’ functions (formation of end products). The subjects appeared to pay selective attention to the change producing steps and points of functional coupling (product of the first system, which serves as the template for the second system)

The Development and Implementation of a Multimedia Program that Uses Analogies in Senior High School Chemistry to Enhance Student Learning of Chemical Equilibrium

In this thesis, you will find a review the development process of a multimedia presentation designed to assist the teaching of chemical equilibrium using analogies. The objective of this thesis is to report on the process of designing animated analogies and the subsequent employment of these analogies in a teaching program for grades 11 and 12 students. This thesis describes a case study in the effective use of technology in the classroom based on established research in the field of analogical thinking. The work begins with a review of relevant literature from the fields of constructivism, collaborative learning and multimedia in education. The design phase of the research sought to discover if analogies for chemical equilibrium could be successfully transferred to a multimedia presentation on a computer. The subsequent testing of the software endeavoured to discover the most appropriate teaching strategies and if the use of such a program could enhance the learning process for students. The work resulted in a completed CDROM with full teaching program included which you will find attached to this thesis. The results indicate that the experience was a positive one and that there is some evidence to show increased ability in the students in their attempts to understand a conceptually difficult area of chemistry theory

The role of procedural similarity, self-explanation and self-constructed diagrams in analogical problem solving

This study aimed to investigate the precise role of self-support methods, such as self-explanation and self-constructed diagrams, as an alternative to external methods in enhancing the cognitive processes considered crucial for effective transfer performance in analogical problem-solving that depicts a multi-step process involving source problems and target problems. This was achieved by systematically examining how type of representation (Verbal & Pictorial) and levels of similarity (Principle, Strategy, and Procedural) interact with self-support methods (Self-explanation (SE) and Self Constructed Diagrams (SCD)) in influencing transfer performance. Three experiments were conducted each addressing a set of issues related to the purpose of the study. Experiment 1 (N = 48) was conducted to identify the cognitive processes and their sub-processes involved in analogical problem solving using pictorial representation and also investigated the specific effects of the self-explanation method on transfer process. This experiment consisted of two experimental conditions; self-explanation (SE) (expermintal group) and verbalization (VB) (control group), and three levels of similarity (i.e., procedural, strategy, and principle). Procedural similarity combined with the SE method was found to have a positive significant influence on the transfer process compared to the principle and strategy levels and VB condition. However, the verbal protocols also revealed that despite the inherent advantages of SE the percentage of complete solvers was low. This was attributed to some difficulty arising from adapting information from a pictorial source to solve a verbal target. Experiment 2 (N = 84) investigated the effect of verbal and pictorial types of representation on transfer performance in a within-subjects design, where each participant solved a pictorial source (PS) and verbal source (VS) problem, and their verbal target analogues. The mean performance of the pictorial representation was higher compared to verbal representation. Transfer performance was higher in the procedural level than the strategy level. This indicated that information from PS tends to be utilized more effectively than VS in retrieving and applying that information to the target problem. Thus having ensured that pictorial representation was an advantage in problems depicting a multistep to be implemented, Experiment 3 was conducted. Experiment 3 (N = 160) aimed at finding whether self-constructed diagrams (SCD) are a better alternative to external support in facilitating the cognitive processes crucial for transfer in analogical problem-solving. As predicted, a significant difference was found between the experimental (SCD) and No Diagrams (ND) control groups in the transfer performance. No significant within subject difference in the transfer performance of verbal and pictorial source representations was found in the SCD condition. An interesting finding was that transfer performance was significantly higher in the verbal representation and strategy level of similarity in the SCD condition than ND. Theoretically, this suggests that because visual memory is more easily accessible than auditory memory, SCD may play a critical role in creating accessible information from the source problem for effective feedback to help solve the target problem. It was concluded that explaining by diagrams helps in identifying the various elements of the problem that stimulate the memory and motivate the person to recall what he drew earlier while solving the target problem. This study contributed to the field of research on the cognitive processes involved in problem-solving by analogy. The methodology employed in each of the experiments was unique in terms of coding and scoring the protocols, which generated strong and reliable results. The outcome of the study was a dynamic model “The Generative Procedural Model of Analogical Problem-solving” which contributed to our understanding of not only how information is processed from verbal and pictorial representations during problem-solving by analogy but also the potential of a self-method in optimizing the processes of noticing, retrieving, and implementing a learned solution process successfully

Abstract Concepts: Sensory-Motor Grounding, Metaphors, and Beyond

Abstract In the last decade many researchers have obtained evidence for the idea that cognition shares processing mechanisms with perception and action. Most of the evidence supporting the grounded cognition framework focused on representations of concrete concepts, which leaves open the question how abstract concepts are grounded in sensory-motor processing. One promising idea is that people simulate concrete situations and introspective experiences to represent abstract concepts [Barsalou, L. W., & Wiemer-Hastings, K. (2005). Situating abstract concepts. In D. Pecher, & R. A. Zwaan (Eds.), Grounding cognition: The role of perception and action in memory, language, and thinking (pp. 129–163). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.], although this has not yet been investigated a lot. A second idea, which more researchers have investigated, is that people use metaphorical mappings from concrete to abstract concepts [Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: Chicago University Press.]. According to this conceptual metaphor theory, image schemas structure and provide sensory-motor grounding for abstract concepts. Although there is evidence that people automatically activate image schemas when they process abstract concepts, we argue that situations are also needed to fully represent meaning

An aesthetics of touch: investigating the language of design relating to form

How well can designers communicate qualities of touch? This paper presents evidence that they have some capability to do so, much of which appears to have been learned, but at present make limited use of such language. Interviews with graduate designer-makers suggest that they are aware of and value the importance of touch and materiality in their work, but lack a vocabulary to fully relate to their detailed explanations of other aspects such as their intent or selection of materials. We believe that more attention should be paid to the verbal dialogue that happens in the design process, particularly as other researchers show that even making-based learning also has a strong verbal element to it. However, verbal language alone does not appear to be adequate for a comprehensive language of touch. Graduate designers-makers’ descriptive practices combined non-verbal manipulation within verbal accounts. We thus argue that haptic vocabularies do not simply describe material qualities, but rather are situated competences that physically demonstrate the presence of haptic qualities. Such competencies are more important than groups of verbal vocabularies in isolation. Design support for developing and extending haptic competences must take this wide range of considerations into account to comprehensively improve designers’ capabilities

The role of procedural similarity, self-explanation and self-constructed diagrams in analogical problem solving

This study aimed to investigate the precise role of self-support methods, such as self-explanation and self-constructed diagrams, as an alternative to external methods in enhancing the cognitive processes considered crucial for effective transfer performance in analogical problem-solving that depicts a multi-step process involving source problems and target problems. This was achieved by systematically examining how type of representation (Verbal & Pictorial) and levels of similarity (Principle, Strategy, and Procedural) interact with self-support methods (Self-explanation (SE) and Self Constructed Diagrams (SCD)) in influencing transfer performance. Three experiments were conducted each addressing a set of issues related to the purpose of the study. Experiment 1 (N = 48) was conducted to identify the cognitive processes and their sub-processes involved in analogical problem solving using pictorial representation and also investigated the specific effects of the self-explanation method on transfer process. This experiment consisted of two experimental conditions; self-explanation (SE) (expermintal group) and verbalization (VB) (control group), and three levels of similarity (i.e., procedural, strategy, and principle). Procedural similarity combined with the SE method was found to have a positive significant influence on the transfer process compared to the principle and strategy levels and VB condition. However, the verbal protocols also revealed that despite the inherent advantages of SE the percentage of complete solvers was low. This was attributed to some difficulty arising from adapting information from a pictorial source to solve a verbal target. Experiment 2 (N = 84) investigated the effect of verbal and pictorial types of representation on transfer performance in a within-subjects design, where each participant solved a pictorial source (PS) and verbal source (VS) problem, and their verbal target analogues. The mean performance of the pictorial representation was higher compared to verbal representation. Transfer performance was higher in the procedural level than the strategy level. This indicated that information from PS tends to be utilized more effectively than VS in retrieving and applying that information to the target problem. Thus having ensured that pictorial representation was an advantage in problems depicting a multistep to be implemented, Experiment 3 was conducted. Experiment 3 (N = 160) aimed at finding whether self-constructed diagrams (SCD) are a better alternative to external support in facilitating the cognitive processes crucial for transfer in analogical problem-solving. As predicted, a significant difference was found between the experimental (SCD) and No Diagrams (ND) control groups in the transfer performance. No significant within subject difference in the transfer performance of verbal and pictorial source representations was found in the SCD condition. An interesting finding was that transfer performance was significantly higher in the verbal representation and strategy level of similarity in the SCD condition than ND. Theoretically, this suggests that because visual memory is more easily accessible than auditory memory, SCD may play a critical role in creating accessible information from the source problem for effective feedback to help solve the target problem. It was concluded that explaining by diagrams helps in identifying the various elements of the problem that stimulate the memory and motivate the person to recall what he drew earlier while solving the target problem. This study contributed to the field of research on the cognitive processes involved in problem-solving by analogy. The methodology employed in each of the experiments was unique in terms of coding and scoring the protocols, which generated strong and reliable results. The outcome of the study was a dynamic model “The Generative Procedural Model of Analogical Problem-solving” which contributed to our understanding of not only how information is processed from verbal and pictorial representations during problem-solving by analogy but also the potential of a self-method in optimizing the processes of noticing, retrieving, and implementing a learned solution process successfully