Mental Models XIII

“Certainly a phantasm is that in which the understanding knows a singular, and yet a phantasm is not a formal sign,  since it does not inhere in nor inform the understanding;  nor is it an instrumental sign, since it does not lead to  a significate from a preexisting cognition, but immediately represents that significate; for the understanding does not need first to know the phantasm as a thing known, in order to have a knowledge of singulars. [...] If, nevertheless, the understanding were to respect the phantasm as a knowable thing and attain the singular by means of it, the understanding would be using the phantasm as a known object manifesting another and consequently as an instrumental sign. But this will be through a reflex cognition upon the entity of the phantasm.” (John of St. Thomas, “Tractatus de signis”, 1632)

“An image (in the most strict signification of the word) is the Resemblance of some thing visible […] (Thomas Hobbes, “Leviathan”, 1651)

“The scientific value of a theory of this kind, in which we make so many assumptions, and introduce so many adjustable constants, cannot be estimated merely by its numerical agreement with certain sets of experiments. If it has any value it is because it enables us to form a mental image of what takes place in a piece of iron during magnetization.” (James C Maxwell, “Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism” Vol. II, 1873)

 “Hence all these theories lead to the conception of a medium in which the propagation takes place, and if we admit this medium as an hypothesis, I think it ought to occupy a prominent place in our investigations, and that we ought to endeavour to construct a mental representation of all the details of its action, and this has been my constant aim in this treatise.”(James C Maxwell, “Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism” Vol. II, 1873)

“A mental model is not normally based on formal definitions but rather on concrete properties that have been drawn from life experience. Mental models are typically analogs, and they comprise specific contents, but this does not necessarily restrict their power to deal with abstract concepts, as we will see. The important thing about mental models, especially in the context of mathematics, is the relations they represent. […]  The essence of understanding a concept is to have a mental representation or mental model that faithfully reflects the structure of that concept. (Lyn D. English & Graeme S. Halford, “Mathematics Education: Models and Processes”, 1995)

"’Mental models’ are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action. Very often, we are not consciously aware of our mental models or the effects they have on our behavior. […] The discipline of working with mental models starts with turning the mirror inward; learning to unearth our internal pictures of the world, to bring them to the surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny. It also includes the ability to carry on ‘learningful’ conversations that balance inquiry and advocacy, where people expose their own thinking effectively and make that thinking open to the influence of others.” (Jossey-Bass Publishers, “The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership”, 2nd Edi. 2007)

“A mental model can be thought of as an internal picture that affects a leader's actions and relationships with others. Mental models are theories people hold about specific systems in the world and their expected behavior.” (Richard Daft, “The Leadership Experience”, 2008)

“Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, mental maps, ideas, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we inspire and motivate human beings. Great stories help us to understand our place in the world, create our identity, discover our purpose, form our character and define and teach human values.” (Jeroninio Almeida, “Karma Kurry for the Mind, Body, Heart & Soul”, 2013)

“One of the most powerful transformational catalysts is knowledge, new information, or logic that defies old mental models and ways of thinking. […] The key to transforming mental models is to interrupt the automatic responses that are driven by the old model and respond differently based on the new model. Each time you are able to do this, you are actually loosening the old circuit and creating new neural connections in your brain, often referred to as self-directed neuroplasticity.” (Elizabeth Thornton, “The Objective Leader”, 2015)