Mind Mapping, Concept Mapping, Argument Mapping

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Mind Mapping, Concept Mapping, Argument Mapping

• Dr Martin Davies
• Teaching and Learning Unit

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Why Mapping?

• If students can represent a complex set of
  relationships in a diagram, they are more likely
  to understand those relationships, remember them,
  and be able to analyse their component parts.
  This, in turn, promotes deep and not surface
  learning). (Biggs, 1987 Entwistle, 1981 Marton
  Saljo, 1976, 1976 Ramsden, 1992).
• Maps are also much easier to follow than verbal
  or written descriptions (Larkin Simon, 1987
  Mayer Gallini, 1990).
• Being visual information, maps utilise the often
  under-utilised parts of the brain associated with
  visual imagery. This enables more processing
  power to be used, and hence leading to a greater
  capacity for learning.
• Moreover, the work involved in map-making
  requires more active engagement on the part of
  their learner, and this too leads to greater
  learning (Twardy, 2004).
• Evidence from the cognitive sciences shows that
  visual displays do enhance learning (Vekiri,
  2002 Winn, 1991). Maps allow the separate
  encoding of information in memory in visual and
  well as propositional form, a phenomenon called
  conjoint retention or dual coding (Kulhavy,
  Lee, Caterino, 1985 Paivio, 1971, 1983
  Schwartz, 1988).

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(Hay, et. al., 2008)
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(Hay et. al., 2008)
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Mind Mapping
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Where has it been used?

• Mind mapping has been used in a variety of
• disciplines, including
• Finance (Biktimirov Nilson, 2003, 2006)
• Economics (Nettleship, 1992)
• Marketing (Eriksson Hauer, 2004)
• Executive Education (Mento, Martinelli, Jones,
  1999)
• Optometry (McClain, 1987)
• Medicine (Farrand, Hussain, Hennessy, 2002).

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Concept Mapping
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Where has it been used?

• Concept mapping has been widely used in academic
  disciplines
• Accounting (Leauby Brazina, 1998 Mass
  Leauby, 2005 van der Lann Dean, 2007
  forthcoming)
• Finance (Irvine, Cooper, Jones, 2005)
• Engineering (Walker King, 2002)
• Statistics (Schau Mattern, 1997)
• Reading Comprehension (Mealy Nist, 1989)
• Biology (Kinchin, 2000)
• Nursing (Baugh Mellott, 1998 King Shell,
  2002 Schuster, 2000 Wilkes, Cooper, Lewin,
  Batts, 1999)
• Medicine (Hoffman, Trott, Neely, 2002
  McGaghie, McCrimmon, Mitchell, Thompson,
  Ravitch, 2000 West, Pomeroy, Park, 2000)
• Veterinary Science (Edmonson, 1993)

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Argument Mapping
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Argument Mapping
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A majority of people cannot reliably exhibit even
the most basic general skills of argument.
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Common Practice
Identify and evaluate reasoning
Produce and express reasoning
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Common Practice
Produce and express reasoning
Identify and evaluate reasoning
A because ??
A because B and C although
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Common practice
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Common Practice
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Noughts and Crosses
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4 x 4 Noughts and Crosses
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Example

• Since the only animals in this house are cats,
  and no cat fails to kill mice, all animals in
  this house kill mice. Now, given that none but
  carnivores kill mice, its clear that all animals
  in this house are carnivores. Of course, not
  animals are carnivorous, unless they prowl at
  night. So, all animals in this house prowl at
  night.

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Bad Writing - Worse Arguments

• The move from a structuralist account in which
  capital is understood to structure social
  relations in relatively homologous ways to a view
  of hegemony in which power relations are subject
  to repetition, convergence, and rearticulation
  brought the question of temporality into the
  thinking of structure, and marked a shift from a
  form of Althusserian theory that takes structural
  totalities as theoretical objects to one in which
  the insights into the contingent possibility of
  structure inaugurate a renewed conception of
  hegemony as bound up with the contingent sites
  and strategies of the rearticulation of power.
• Judith Butler, Professor of Rhetoric and
  Comparative Literature at the University of
  California. For further examples, see
  http//www.miami.edu/phi/misc/badwrit3.htm.

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Reasoning can get complicated
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Where has it been used?

• Several papers published demonstrating its impact
  on student learning, especially improvements in
  critical thinking (Twardy, 2004 van Gelder,
  2001 van Gelder, Bissett, Cumming, 2004).
• The former study demonstrated a 0.72 gain of
  standard deviations, i.e., an improvement in
  critical thinking skills as measured by a
  standard instrument in pre- and post-test scores.
  The latter studied demonstrated even higher gains
  of 0.8 standard deviations.
• Economics (Davies, Higher Education, 2009)

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Simple Arguments
People who are unlucky in love are often unlucky
when they gamble as well, according to new
research. A survey of 2000 adults showed that men
and women in stable relationships were more
likely to win competitions than divorcees. Age
Odd Spot, 11 Dec 03
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Simple Argument Analysed

• People who are unlucky in love are often
• unlucky when they gamble as well, according
• to new research. A survey of 2000 adults
• showed that men and women in stable relationships
  
• were more likely to win competitions than
  divorcees.
• Age Odd Spot, 11 Dec 03

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Simple Arguments
People who are unlucky in love are often unlucky
when they gamble as well, according to new
research. A survey of 2000 adults showed that
men and women in stable relationships were more
likely to win competitions than divorcees.
Contention
Reason
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Arguments and Language

• Critical thinking operates at the level of
  statements, not commands, questions or
  exclamations
• Statements are independent of language
• Il pleut,
• Es regnet

• If P then Q
• P
• Therefore Q
• If P then Q
• If Q then R
• Therefore If P then R

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Arguments and Meaning

• Arguments are
• independent of meaning
• All Masdocks are Primpletons
• This X is a Masdock
• Therefore, this X is a Primpleton

• All Ms are Ps
• This X is a M
• Therefore this M is a P

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Good Reasoning?

• Odd as it sounds, men may apologize to their
  spouses more often than women do, according to a
  recent survey by the Princeton-based Opinion
  Research Corp. The study is part of a publicity
  campaign to mark the 70th anniversary of the
  Parker Brothers game Sorry! According to the
  survey, when asked whom they say sorry to most
  often, 56 percent of men said their wives. Just
  41 percent of wives, on the other hand, said they
  apologize most to their husbands.Americans hate
  to apologize? Who can blame us?
• By Alfred Lubrano Inquirer Staff Writer

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Good Argument?

• Men apologise to their spouses more than women
  (56 men 41 women)
• Therefore Americans hate to apologise

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A More Complex Argument

• If men have obtained advantages through past
  discrimination in their favour, then we may
  discount men's advantages when selecting people
  for jobs.

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Argument Analysed

• P1 If men have obtained advantages through past
  discrimination, then we should discount men's
  advantages when selecting people for jobs
• P2 Men have obtained advantages in the past from
  discrimination in their favour (assumed)
• C We should discount men's advantages when
  selecting people for jobs

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Argument Mapped Co-premises
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Look out for Conclusion Indicators

• let us conclude that... we conclude that... we
  can conclude that... concluding... thus...
  therefore... so... consequently... hence...
  then...

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Look Out for Premise Indicator Words

• since... as... for... because... assuming
  that... supposing that... given that... for
  the reason that... if such and such....

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Look for Argument Sequences

• (premise)....then...
  (conclusion)
• (premise)...shows that... (conclusion)
• (premise)...indicates that... (conclusion)
• (premise)...proves that... (conclusion)
• (premise)...entails that... (conclusion)
• (premise)...implies that... (conclusion)
• (premise)...establishes that (conclusion)
• (premise)...allows us to infer that
  (conclusion)
• (premise) gives us reasons for believing that
  (conclusion)

• (conclusion)... then ... (premise)
• (conclusion)...is shown by...
  (premise)
• (conclusion)...is indicated by
  (premise)
• (conclusion)...is proven by...
  (premise)
• (conclusion)...is entailed by...
  (premise)
• (conclusion)...is implied by...
  (premise)
• (conclusion)...is established by...
  (premise)

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Another Example

• Some of the matter found today is radioactive.
  Radioactive matter decays in a finite time.
  Therefore, the matter in the universe must have
  been created a finite time ago.

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Example Analysed

• P1 Radioactive matter which decays in a finite
  time must have been created a finite time ago
• P2 Some matter in the universe found today is
  radioactive
• C Some of the matter in the universe must have
  been created a finite time ago.

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Argument Mapped
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Your Turn

• No system can exist half matter and half
  antimatter, because the two forms of matter
  annihilate each other.

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Argument Mapped
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Another Example

• There is no war going on between the US and Al
  Qaeda because wars happen only between countries
  and states.
• Watch out for TACIT premise!

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Example Mapped
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Have a go

• Bollywood films are great because they are
  entertaining and culturally interesting. They
  have great singing and dancing and they show a
  culture very different from my own, so I can
  learn a lot from them. However, Bollywood films
  are also very long. But on the other hand, great
  films (such as Citizen Kane) are often long.

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Separate Premises and Objections and Rebuttals
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Even More Complex

• If you want a new car now is the time and
  Hindmarsh is the place.
• Is this a) simple claim or b) an argument for a
  proposition
• Is something being concluded?

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Find the Central Proposition/Contention

• (1) Therefore if you want a new car now is the
  time and Hindmarsh is the place.
• (2) If you want a new car therefore now is the
  time and Hindmarsh is the place.
• (3) If you want a new car now is the time and
  therefore Hindmarsh is the place.

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Part 1

• P1 If you want a new car, now is the time and
  Hindmarsh is the place (to borrow)
• P2 You do want a new car
• C Now is the time and Hindmarsh is the place (to
  borrow)

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Part 2

• P3 If now is the time to buy a car and Hindmarsh
  is the place, then you should borrow from
  Hindmarsh
• P4 Now is the time to buy and Hindmarsh is the
  place
• C2 You should borrow from Hindmarsh.

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Argument Analysed
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Higher More General

• The higher the level, the more abstract or
  general the argument

Level 1
More general or abstract
Level 2
Level 3
More detailed or particular
Note high levels have low level numbers
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Level Consistency

• All arguments at a level should be similar in
  generality or abstraction

These arguments should all be similar in
abstraction even across branches
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Determine Missing Rungs
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Add Missing Rungs
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Dog Show
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Dog Show (Fixed)
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Dog Show
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Dog Show - Fixed
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Great Plains
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Great Plains
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Great Plains - Fixed
Group arguments underneath an intermediate level
of abstraction
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How to Evaluate (1)

• First design your argument map
• Then switch to Evaluation Mode
• Then Evaluate reasoned claim
• Definitely true
• Probably true
• No verdict
• Probably false
• Definitely false

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How to Evaluate (2)

• Double click each reason and select a ground for
  the reason
• Common knowledge
• Personal knowledge
• Expert opinion
• Testimony
• Considered plausibility
• Necessary truth
• No grounds

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Example

• Since the only animals in this house are cats,
  and no cat fails to kill mice, all animals in
  this house kill mice. Now, given that none but
  carnivores kill mice, its clear that all animals
  in this house are carnivores. Of course, not
  animals are carnivorous, unless they prowl at
  night. So, all animals in this house prowl at
  night.

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The Differences

• Mind Mapping
• Associative, free form, radial structure
• Concept mapping
• Relational, structured, hierarchical
• Argument mapping
• Inferential, structured, hierarchical

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Imagine

• If the advantages of concept mapping amnd
  argument mapping could be combined
• Students demonstrate understanding of
  relationships
• THEN drill down to provide arguments.

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Where to get Rationale

• http//www.austhink.com/
• http//www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au/reason/
• New version Rationale
• http//crmhub.austhink.com/MelbUni/default.aspx