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Semantic Networks,

Concept Mapping, and Mind Mapping

by Susan L. Miertschin

Human Cognition

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Human Cognition

• Brain processes input into information– Make predictions– Anticipate eventsAnticipate events– Remember things– Solve problems

Human Cognition

• Your brain processes input into information in a way that is unique to you

• Personal mental schema• Personal mental schema

Personal Mental Schema

– Concepts– Associations– Relations

– Images– Sensory

perceptions

• Vast stores of personal knowledge• Knowledge elements

– Relations– Attributes

perceptions– Emotions– Sense of time– Awareness of

context

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Documenting Knowledge Schema

Knowledge Representation

• Ways to organize, disperse knowledge elements

• Machine readable

All horses are animals.

Chloe is a horse.

Chloe is an animal.

Formal Knowledge Models

• Concepts– Nouns, noun phrases (usually)

• Named RelationsVerbs verb phrases (usually)– Verbs, verb phrases (usually)

– Used to link concepts• Modifiers

– Clarify scope of concepts or relations

– Adjectives and adverbs

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Instance

Modifier Modifier

Concept ConceptRelation

Instance is short for “instance

of a relation”

Modifier

Instance

Modifier Modifier

Element ElementRelation

Modifier

Elements include concepts, knowledge objects, and instances

Semantic Network

• Network of ideas built from four elements– Concepts– RelationsRelations– Instances– Modifiers

• Adjectives• Adverbs• Cardinality

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Semantic Network Theory

• Systematic means to model an individual’s mental schema about declarative knowledge

Concept Map Example

Semantic Networking Software

• MindManager® by MindJet ®

• Cmap Tools (free) (cmap.ihmc.us/conceptmap.html)

• Inspiration® by Inspiration• Inspiration® by Inspiration Software, Inc.

• Can use MS Visio©

• Mindomo, MindMeister, bubbl.us are web applications

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MindManager® Mind Map

http://www.bluetooth.com

MindManager® Mind Map (Ink Mode)

Map Created with MS Visio©

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Inspiration® Map

Let’s Get Mapping!