Ilona Wilmont

Cognitive Mechanisms of Conceptual Modelling

Conceptual modelling involves many higher order cognitive processes, such as relational reasoning and abstraction, which are based on integration and maintenance of information. Evidence from cognitive psychology suggests that these processes are subject to individual differences which cannot be explained by training and experience alone. In this review, we study how the cognitive processes that enable modelling interact to produce modelling behaviour, and where in this process we can find individual differences that may explain some of the variation in performance seen in actual modelling settings. We discuss interaction between working memory, executive control and attention as they facilitate relational reasoning and abstraction, which we consider to be key cognitive processes in modelling. Eventually, a thorough understanding of modelling cognition can help us to provide better cognitive support for modellers.

Focused Conceptualisation: Framing Questioning and Answering in Model-Oriented Dialogue Games

This paper reports on a next step in a line of research taking the perspective that modelling as an activity is a ‘constrained conversation’. We focus on concrete communication situations in context of (enterprise) modelling sessions, with special attention to the involvement of ‘novice modellers’. We present some theoretical notions that are helpful in understanding why modelling performed by/with novice modellers can usually be best broken down in sub-tasks, and how such decomposed tasks can be analysed and structured to match the limited skills of (novice) modellers. The generic aspects presented are then linked to generic types of questions and answers that are both drivers and constraints for the ‘dialogue games’ played in conversations-for-modelling. We also present and illustrate an instrument for analysis, the ‘Focused Conceptualisation’ (FoCon), which can help identify, evaluate and create dialogue games for model-oriented communication situations; we discuss three working examples of the use of FoCons.

Exploring Intuitive Modelling Behaviour

Understanding modelling behaviour is an important step towards situated modelling support, especially when aiming to actively involve the domain expert in modelling without expert interventions. In search for a hypothesis on which modelling acts humans exhibit naturally, this paper presents an exploratory study into the modelling approaches intuitively taken by people trained in modelling as opposed to people not trained in modelling. Participants were asked to create a concept map of either a familiar or unfamiliar knowledge domain.

Abstract Reasoning in Collaborative Modeling

This paper reports on a case study of abstract reasoning in a real collaborative modeling setting. The study was conducted according to the behavioral observation principles of human ethology. Our findings indicate a relation between an individuals executive functioning and his ability to do abstract reasoning. Furthermore, we find individual differences in these abilities, and our results suggest that lack of certain skills pushes a session back to its initial phase until a shared conception of what is being modeled is achieved. These findings further our understanding of the process of collaborative modeling, how the qualities and behaviors of an individual modeler influence the interactive modeling process and its final outcomes.

An Observation Method for Behavioral Analysis of Collaborative Modeling Skills

Process modeling skills are strongly subject to individual differences in cognitive abilities. However, we lack systematic methods to analyze how psychological mechanisms facilitating cognition influence modeling skills.