ATLANTA—September 21, 2009—Profound discoveries and insights on the frontiers of science do not burst out of thin air but often arise from incremental processes of weaving together analogies, images, and simulations in a constrained fashion. In cutting-edge science, problems are often ill-defined and experimental data are limited. To develop an understanding of the system under investigation, scientists build real-world models and make predictions with them. The models are tentative at first, but over time they are revised and refined, and can lead the community to novel problem solutions. Models, thus, play a big role in the creative thinking processes of scientists.
Dr. Nancy J. Nersessian has studied the cognitive processes that underlie scientific creativity by observing scientists at work in their laboratories. She says, "Solving problems at the frontiers of science involves complex cognitive processes. In reasoning with models, part of the process occurs in the mind and part in the real-world manipulation of the model. The problem is not solved by the scientist alone, but by the scientist – model combination. This is a highly creative cognitive process." Her research is published in an upcoming issue of Topics in Cognitive Science.
Her study of the working methods of scientists helps in understanding how class and instructional laboratory settings can be improved to foster creativity, and how new teaching methods can be developed based on this understanding. These methods will allow science students to master model-based reasoning approaches to problem solving and open the field to many more who do not think of themselves as traditional "scientists."
This study is published in the October 2009 issue of Topics in Cognitive Science. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact scholarlynews@wiley.com.
Lead researcher Dr. Nancy J. Nersessian has a cross-disciplinary background in philosophy, physics, and cognitive science and is currently a Regents' Professor of Cognitive Science at the School of Interactive Computing & School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology. She is one of the founders of what is called "cognitive studies of science and technology" or "the psychology of science and technology." She can be reached for questions at nancyn@cc.gatech.edu
About the Journal:Topics in Cognitive Science (topiCS) seeks to fill a niche not occupied by the Cognitive Science journal or other cognitive science journals. This innovative publication continues in the tradition of Cognitive Science by being characterized by rigorous reviewing and high-quality papers. As the name suggests, topiCS features multiple scholarly papers dedicated to a single topic. Some of these topics appear together in one issue, but other topics may appear across several issues.
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Topics in Cognitive Science