System Dynamics Review · 1997 · 94 citations · 0 references
EngineeringCognitionComplex SystemsSystem ThinkingSocial SciencesPsychologySystems ApproachesSystems ThinkingCognitive ConstructionCognitive AnalysisHuman LearningEstablished Research MethodsCognitive ControlCognitive ScienceCognitive FunctionMental ModelExperimental PsychologyCognitive DynamicsCognitive EngineeringCognitive System EngineeringCognitive Psychology
Controlled experimental research on how interventions affect mental models and cognitive processes is needed, yet current assessment practices are limited. The article shows how established cognitive‑psychology methods can evaluate whether systems‑thinking interventions improve the nature and quality of thought about complex systems. It outlines a collaborative research agenda between cognitive psychologists and dynamic‑systems scholars covering memory, analogical transfer, mental models, decision processes, human–computer interaction, and expertise. The authors discuss the challenges and long‑term benefits of carrying out this research. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article describes how established research methods in cognitive psychology can be applied to answer questions about the ability of systems thinking interventions to improve the nature and quality of thought about complex systems. The need for and advantages of controlled experimental research on the effects of interventions on mental models and cognitive processes, as well as the limitations of current assessment practices, are discussed. An agenda for collaborative research between cognitive psychologists and researchers interested in dynamic systems, covering the areas of memory, analogical transfer, mental models, decision processes, human–computer interaction, and expertise, is outlined in detail. The article concludes with a discussion of the difficulties and long-term advantages of conducting the described research. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.