Mental Model of Dynamic Systems

Definition Cognitive processes are any mental activity that acquires, stores, transforms, reduces, elaborates, or uses knowledge. Cognitive processes are also referred to as cognition. Dynamic decision making is the process of assessing and choosing among alternatives at different times in the course of managing a dynamic system, that is, an environment that changes over time. A dynamic system is one whose state changes with time. Dynamic systems are relevant to describe dynamic phenomena in many fields of research, for instance, in psychology, operations research, management, political sciences, sociology, and economics. Model-based learning (MBL) refers to the activity of humans interacting with an external, formal model for the purpose of learning. The external model is used as a point of reference that structures and guides the learning process with the learner. Model is a simplified representation of a real system. Models appear in this entry in the form of external and internal models. An external model is an explicit, mostly graphical representation of an internal (mental) model of an individual. It provides a means for communication and analysis. An internal (mental)model is a construct of cognitive psychology. Mental models are internal representations of conceptual and causal interrelations among elements that people use to understand phenomena. Feedback is the transmission and return of information about the current output condition of a system. A feedback process is a process by which a system is controlled or changed by the output or response it produces. Learning is considered a feedback process of the following kind: Our decisions alter the real world, we receive information feedback about the world and revise the decisions we make and subsequently the mental models that motivate those decisions. Learning can also be seen as a process of discovering the content and structure of a model or reality. A stock and flow diagram (SFD) is a tool for graphically representing mental models of dynamic systems. Such a diagram is a means to represent the feedback structure of a system that consists conceptually of feedback loops. System Dynamics is a computer modeling methodology that is used to represent and analyze complex nonlinear dynamic feedback systems for the purpose of generating insights and improving system performance. It has its intellectual origins in control theory, management science, and digital computing. It was created in 1957 by JayW. Forrester of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology as a method for helping managers better understand and control corporate systems. Today, it is applied to topics in a wide variety of academic disciplines; see www.systemdynamics.org and the journal “System Dynamics Review.”