Creative model construction in scientists and students : the role of imagery, analogy, and mental stimulation

How do scientists use analogies and other processes to break away from old theories and generate new ones? This book documents such methods through the analysis of video tapes of scientifically trained experts thinking aloud while working on unfamiliar problems. Some aspects of creative scientific thinking are difficult to explain, such as the power of analogies, the use of physical intuition, and the enigmatic ability to learn from thought experiments. The book examines the hypothesis that these processes are based on imagistic mental simulation as an underlying mechanism. This allows the analysis of insight ("Aha!") episodes of creative theory formation. Advanced processes examined include specialized conserving transformations, Gedanken experiments, and adjusted levels of divergence in thinking. Student interviews are used to show that students have natural abilities for many of the basic reasoning and model construction processes and that this has important implications for expanding instructional theories of conceptual change and inquiry. "I regard this work as the most comprehensive account ever attempted to show how imagistic, analogic, and sensory-motor representations participate in creative thinking." __Professor Ryan Tweney, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA__ Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 5 1.1.1 The Need for a Theory of Learning with Understanding......Page 26 1.2.1 Novice Problem Solving......Page 27 1.2.2 Expert Studies......Page 28 1.2.3 Background of Work on Expertise and Science Studies and Remaining Gaps in Our Understanding of Scientific Thinking......Page 29 1.2.5 Summary......Page 34 1.3.1 Descriptive Case Studies......Page 35 1.3.3 Instructional Applications......Page 36 1.4 General Features of the Analysis Method Used: Contact Between Data and Theory......Page 37 1.5 General Theoretical Framework......Page 39 1.6.1 Creativity, Imagery, and Natural Reasoning......Page 40 Part One: Analogies, Models, and Creative Learning in Experts and Students......Page 42 Section I: Expert Reasoning and Learning via Analogy......Page 43 2. Major Processes Involved in Spontaneous Analogical Reasoning......Page 44 3. Methods Experts Use to Generate Analogies......Page 56 4. Methods Experts Use to Evaluate an Analogy Relation......Page 69 5. Expert Methods for Developing an Understanding of the Analogous Case and Applying Findings......Page 79 Section II: Expert Model Construction and Scientific Insight......Page 87 6: Case Study of Model Construction and Criticism in Expert Reasoning......Page 88 7: Creativity and Scientific Insight in the Case Study for S2......Page 118 Section III: Creative Nonformal Reasoning in Students and Implications for Instruction......Page 137 8. Spontaneous Analogies Generated by Students Solving Science Problems......Page 138 9. Case Study of a Student Who Counters and Improves His Own Misconception by Generating a Chain of Analogies......Page 145 10. Using Analogies and Models in Instruction to Deal with Students' Preconceptions......Page 156 Part Two: Advanced Uses of Imagery and Investigation Methods in Science and Mathematics......Page 173 Section IV: Transformations, Imagery, and Simulation in Experts and Students......Page 174 11. Analogy, Extreme Cases, and Spatial Transformations in Mathematical Problem Solving by Experts......Page 175 12. Depictive Gestures and Other Case Study Evidence for Use of Imagery by Experts and Students......Page 185 13. Physical Intuition, Imagistic Simulation and Implicit Knowledge......Page 219 Section V: Advanced Uses of Imagery in Analogies, Thought Experiments, and Model Construction......Page 249 14. The Use of Analogies, Imagery, and Thought Experiments in Both Qualitative and Mathematical Model Construction......Page 250 15. Thought Experiments and Imagistic Simulation in Plausible Reasoning......Page 289 16. A Punctuated Evolution Model of Investigation and Model Construction Processes......Page 336 17. Imagistic Processes in Analogical Reasoning: Transformations and Dual Simulations......Page 394 18. How Grounding in Runnable Schemas Contributes to Producing Flexible Scientific Models in Experts and Students......Page 419 Section VI: Conclusions......Page 441 19: Summary of Findings on Plausible Reasoning and Learning in Experts I: Basic Findings......Page 442 20. Summary of Findings on Plausible Reasoning and Learning in Experts II: Advanced Topics......Page 465 21. Creativity in Experts, Nonformal Reasoning, and Educational Applications......Page 515 References......Page 583 D......Page 598 J......Page 599 P......Page 600 Z......Page 601 A......Page 602 D......Page 603 G......Page 604 I......Page 605 P......Page 606 T......Page 607 W......Page 608 Introduction : A Hidden World Of Nonformal Expert Reasoning -- Major Processes Involved In Spontaneous Analogical Reasoning -- Methods Experts Use To Generate Analogies -- Methods Experts Use To Evaluate An Analogy Relation -- Expert Methods For Developing An Understanding Of The Analogous Case And Applying Findings -- Case Study Of Model Construction And Criticism In Expert Reasoning -- Creativity And Scientific Insight In The Case Study For S2 -- Spontaneous Analogies Generated By Students Solving Science Problems -- Case Study Of A Student Who Counters And Improves His Own Misconception By Generating A Chain Of Analogies -- Using Analogies And Models In Instruction To Deal With Students' Preconceptions / John J. Clement And David E. Brown -- Analogy, Extreme Cases And Spatial Transformations In Mathematical Problem Solving By Experts -- Depictive Gestures And Other Case Study Evidence For Use Of Imagery By Experts And Students -- Physical Intuition, Imagistic Simulation And Implicit Knowledge -- The Use Of Analogies, Imagery And Thought Experiments In Both Qualitative And Mathematical Model Construction -- Thought Experiments And Imagistic Simulation In Plausible Reasoning -- A Punctuated Evolution Model Of Investigation And Model Construction Processes -- Imagistic Processes In Analogical Reasoning : Transformations And Dual Simulations -- How Grounding In Runnable Schemas Contributes To Producing Flexible Scientific Models In Experts And Students -- Summary Of Findings On Plausible Reasoning And Learning In Experts. 1, Basic Findings ; 2, Advanced Topics -- Creativity In Experts, Nonformal Reasoning And Educational Applications. John J. Clement. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 575-589) And Index. How do scientists use analogies and other processes to break away from old theories and generate new ones? This book documents such methods through the analysis of video tapes of scientifically trained experts thinking aloud while working on unfamiliar problems. Some aspects of creative scientific thinking are difficult to explain, such as the power of analogies, the use of physical intuition, and the enigmatic ability to learn from thought experiments. The book examines the hypothesis that these processes are based on imagistic mental simulation as an underlying mechanism. This allows the analysis of insight ( Aha! ) episodes of creative theory formation. Advanced processes examined include specialized conserving transformations, Gedanken experiments, and adjusted levels of divergence in thinking. Student interviews are used to show that students have natural abilities for many of these basic reasoning and model construction processes and that this has important implications for expanding instructional theories of conceptual change and inquiry. "I regard this work as the most comprehensive account ever attempted to show how imagistic, analogic, and sensory-motor representations participate in creative thinking." Professor Ryan Tweney Annotation How do scientists use analogies and other processes to break away from old theories and generate new ones? This book documents such methods through the analysis of video tapes of scientifically trained experts thinking aloud while working on unfamiliar problems. Some aspects of creative scientific thinking are difficult to explain, such as the power of analogies, and the enigmatic ability to learn from thought experiments. This book is a window on that world