My MSc Thesis on Concept Mapping

Abstract

When referring to a problem, we often speak of a space in which the problem’s parts exist. This allows us to speak metaphorically and to apply knowledge constructed in a given field to be useful in a less familiar one.

Concepts are universally separate from representation, yet the representation often subtly distorts or obscures the ideas. This is undesirable yet almost inevitable; the trick, it seems, is to choose a medium appropriate to the purpose and structure of the message.

This report discusses the nature of concepts, how representation affects a message and how human characteristics affect learning and remembering. A prototype implementation of a concept representation system is presented.

I am blogging some of my thesis now as I’d like to network with others interested in the field and that I hope that it makes interesting reading. I submitted my M.Sc. in Computer Software and Systems Design on 16 October 1995. However, although more than 10 years have passed, much of the conceptual discussion is timeless, it continues to frame how I think, and it has new relevance in the light of Social Software.

If you have interest please give me feedback. This will encourage me to revisit the work, and maybe to release or rework the software tool.

Thanks,

Martin

Technorati : Conceptmapping, MSc