1

Cognitive Maps and Questorming

Prof. Leonel TractenbergE-mai: leoneltractenberg@gmail.com

EBAPE/FGV y LTC/NUTES/UFRJRio de Janeiro, Brasil

Visiting ScholarUniversidad de Barcelona y

Universidade de Coimbra

Enero, 2008

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

2

What is a Cognitive Map?

Some definitions:

• Jonassen et al. (1997): – Spatial representations of concepts and their

relationships.

• Watters & Zhou (1999): – Visual language for representing and communicating

knowledge within a community.

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

3

What is a Cognitive Map?

(source: Milam et al., 2001:10)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

4

What is a Cognitive Map?

(source: Milam et al., 2001:10)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

5

What is it for?

• Some utilities of cognitive maps:– Accessing own cognitive structures/ representations– Brainstorming, creating and communicating ideas– Studying and reviewing concepts– Maps as teaching / learning / assessing tools– Hypermedia design– Qualitative research– Collaboration / project teamwork– Organizing files– Etc.

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

6

Example of Concept Map

(source: Stoyanov & Kommers., 2006:3)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

7

Example of Mind Map

(Source: www.mind-mapping.co.uk)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

8

(Source: Okada & Shum, 2006)

Maps using Compendium (http://compendium.open.ac.uk/institute/)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

9Source: http://compendium.open.ac.uk/institute//images/nasa3.jpg

Maps using Compendium

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

10

Tips for creating Cognitive Maps

• Tony Buzan suggestions for creating Mind Maps:1. Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.

2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your Mind Map.

3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.

4. Each word/image must be alone and sitting on its own line.

5. The lines must be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic and flowing, becoming thinner as they radiate out from the centre.

6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image.

7. Use colors – your own code – throughout the Mind Map.

8. Develop your own personal style of Mind Mapping.

9. Use emphasis and show associations in your Mind Map.

10.Keep the Mind Map clear by using radial hierarchy, numerical order or outlines to embrace your branches.

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

11(Source: www.mind-mapping.co.uk)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

12

Some tips for creating cognitive maps

(source: Milam et al., 2001:17)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

13

Questorming and Concept Maps

• Some questions may be helpful to expand a concept map: – What are all the different kinds of ___?– What are all the ways to ___?– What are all the parts of ___?– What are all the reasons for ___?– What are all the uses for ___?– What are all the stages in ___?– Is ___ a type of ___?– Which concepts are alike and which are different?

(Spradley, 1979 apud Milam et al., 2001)

• Here is where QUESTORMING can be very useful!

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

14

Brainstorming

• Brainstorming: “a conference technique by which a group attempts to find a solution for a specific problem by amassing all the ideas spontaneously by its members” (Alex Osborn)

• Some applications:– Mental warming up– Creativity and idea generation– Individual and group problem solving– Learning and assessment

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

15

Brainstorming

A typical Brainstorming session:

1. “A warm-up session, to expose novice participants to the criticism-free environment. (…)

2. The chairman presents the problem and gives a further explanation if needed.

3. The chairman asks the brainstorming panel for their ideas.

4. If no ideas are coming out, the chairman suggests a lead to encourage creativity.

5. Every participant presents his or her idea, and the idea collector records them.

6. If more than one participant has ideas, the chairman lets the most associated idea be presented first. (…)

7. The participants try to elaborate on the idea, to improve the quality.

8. When time is up, the chairman organizes the ideas based on the topic goal and encourages discussion. Additional ideas may be generated.

9. Ideas are categorized.

10. The whole list is reviewed to ensure that everyone understands the ideas. Duplicate ideas and obviously infeasible solutions are removed.

11. The chairman thanks all participants and gives each a token of appreciation.”

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming#Outline_of_the_method)

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

16

Questorming

• Questorming: a technique by which a group attempts to raise as many different questions and problems about some predetermined issue in order to open a great quantity of paths for further investigation.

• It surpasses the 6 Ws technique (who, what, where, when, why and how) because it generates a greater number of more ingenuous and specific questions.

• The dynamic is similar to a Brainstorming session, but only questions and problems for further investigation are allowed and registered (answers and opinions are discarded).

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

17

Questorming + Cognitive Mapping

??

?? ?

?? ?

?

??

?

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

18

Websites

• Compendium:– http://compendium.open.ac.uk/institute/

• Mind Mapping:– www.mind-mapping.co.uk

• Brainstorming:– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming#Outline_of_the_method

• Questorming:– http://www.pynthan.com/vri/questorm.htm

WOP Psychology in cybercultureLeonel Tractenberg – LTC/NUTES/UFRJ

19

More info about...

• Buzan, T. (1991). The Mind Map Book. New York: Penguin.

• Milam, J.; Santo, S.A.; Heaton, L.A. (2001) Concept Maps for Web-Based Applications. ERIC Technical Report.. 75p. Disponible en: http://www.highered.org/docs/milam-conceptmaps.PDF

• Stoyanov, S. & Kommers, P. (2006). WWW-intensive concept mapping for metacognition in solving ill-structured problems. Int. J. Cont. Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning, v.16, n.3/4. Disponible en: http://www.ou.nl/Docs/Expertise/OTEC/Publicaties/slavi%20stoyanov/10%20Stoyanov1.pdf