Borrow it
Coverart for item
The Resource Creating scientific concepts, Nancy Nersessian

Creating scientific concepts, Nancy Nersessian

Creator
Summary
An account that analyzes the dynamic reasoning processes implicated in a fundamental problem of creativity in science: how does genuine novelty emerge from existing representations?How do novel scientific concepts arise? In Creating Scientific Concepts, Nancy Nersessian seeks to answer this central but virtually unasked question in the problem of conceptual change. She argues that the popular image of novel concepts and profound insight bursting forth in a blinding flash of inspiration is mistaken. Instead, novel concepts are shown to arise out of the interplay of three factors: an attempt to solve specific problems; the use of conceptual, analytical, and material resources provided by the cognitive-social-cultural context of the problem; and dynamic processes of reasoning that extend ordinary cognition. Focusing on the third factor, Nersessian draws on cognitive science research and historical accounts of scientific practices to show how scientific and ordinary cognition lie on a continuum, and how problem-solving practices in one illuminate practices in the other. Her investigations of scientific practices show conceptual change as deriving from the use of analogies, imagistic representations, and thought experiments, integrated with experimental investigations and mathematical analyses. She presents a view of constructed models as hybrid objects, serving as intermediaries between targets and analogical sources in bootstrapping processes. Extending these results, she argues that these complex cognitive operations and structures are not mere aids to discovery, but that together they constitute a powerful form of reasoning--model-based reasoning--that generates novelty. This new approach to mental modeling and analogy, together with Nersessian's cognitive-historical approach, make Creating Scientific Concepts equally valuable to cognitive science and philosophy of science
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
1 online resource (xiv, 251 pages)
Contents
  • Creativity in conceptual change: a cognitive-historical approach
  • Model-based reasoning practices: historical exemplar
  • Model-based reasoning practices: protocol study exemplar
  • The cognitive basis of model-based reasoning practices: mental modeling
  • Representation and reasoning: analogy, imagery, thought experiment
  • Creativity in conceptual change
Isbn
9780262280549
Instance
Label
Creating scientific concepts
Title
Creating scientific concepts
Statement of responsibility
Nancy Nersessian
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
An account that analyzes the dynamic reasoning processes implicated in a fundamental problem of creativity in science: how does genuine novelty emerge from existing representations?How do novel scientific concepts arise? In Creating Scientific Concepts, Nancy Nersessian seeks to answer this central but virtually unasked question in the problem of conceptual change. She argues that the popular image of novel concepts and profound insight bursting forth in a blinding flash of inspiration is mistaken. Instead, novel concepts are shown to arise out of the interplay of three factors: an attempt to solve specific problems; the use of conceptual, analytical, and material resources provided by the cognitive-social-cultural context of the problem; and dynamic processes of reasoning that extend ordinary cognition. Focusing on the third factor, Nersessian draws on cognitive science research and historical accounts of scientific practices to show how scientific and ordinary cognition lie on a continuum, and how problem-solving practices in one illuminate practices in the other. Her investigations of scientific practices show conceptual change as deriving from the use of analogies, imagistic representations, and thought experiments, integrated with experimental investigations and mathematical analyses. She presents a view of constructed models as hybrid objects, serving as intermediaries between targets and analogical sources in bootstrapping processes. Extending these results, she argues that these complex cognitive operations and structures are not mere aids to discovery, but that together they constitute a powerful form of reasoning--model-based reasoning--that generates novelty. This new approach to mental modeling and analogy, together with Nersessian's cognitive-historical approach, make Creating Scientific Concepts equally valuable to cognitive science and philosophy of science
Member of
Cataloging source
N$T
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Nersessian, Nancy J
Dewey number
500
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
LC call number
Q172.5.C74
LC item number
N47 2008eb
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • dictionaries
  • bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Creative ability in science
  • Model-based reasoning
  • Discoveries in science
  • SCIENCE
  • SCIENCE
  • SCIENCE
  • Creative ability in science
  • Discoveries in science
  • Model-based reasoning
Label
Creating scientific concepts, Nancy Nersessian
Instantiates
Publication
Antecedent source
unknown
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-243) and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Creativity in conceptual change: a cognitive-historical approach -- Model-based reasoning practices: historical exemplar -- Model-based reasoning practices: protocol study exemplar -- The cognitive basis of model-based reasoning practices: mental modeling -- Representation and reasoning: analogy, imagery, thought experiment -- Creativity in conceptual change
Control code
251620972
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource (xiv, 251 pages)
File format
unknown
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780262280549
Level of compression
unknown
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Other physical details
illustrations
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
  • 7967
  • 9780262280549
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Reformatting quality
unknown
Sound
unknown sound
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)251620972
Label
Creating scientific concepts, Nancy Nersessian
Publication
Antecedent source
unknown
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-243) and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Creativity in conceptual change: a cognitive-historical approach -- Model-based reasoning practices: historical exemplar -- Model-based reasoning practices: protocol study exemplar -- The cognitive basis of model-based reasoning practices: mental modeling -- Representation and reasoning: analogy, imagery, thought experiment -- Creativity in conceptual change
Control code
251620972
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource (xiv, 251 pages)
File format
unknown
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780262280549
Level of compression
unknown
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Other physical details
illustrations
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
  • 7967
  • 9780262280549
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Reformatting quality
unknown
Sound
unknown sound
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)251620972

Subject

Genre

Member of

Library Locations

    • Thomas Jefferson LibraryBorrow it
      1 University Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63121, US
      38.710138 -90.311107

Library Links

Structured data from the Bibframe namespace is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries. Additional terms may apply to data associated with third party namespaces.
Processing Feedback ...