Mental representations and problem solving: an exploratory study
Keywords:
mental models, problem solving, physics and mathematics.Abstract
Problem solving strategies used by high school students, ages 15-19, participants of the mathematics olympics, ages 16-17, and physics and mathematics majors, are analysed from the perspective of the theory of mental models. Although the problem considered in such analysis could be solved using a first degree equation with one unknown quantity, it was not this strategy that was used by most subjects of the study, at least in a first approximation. Data suggest that some subjects have a mental model of the situation and run that model in order to solve the problem whereas others seem to use merely algebraic procedures. The mental model category is approached from Johnson-Laird’s perspective.Downloads
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