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It'd be nice if we could move the conversation about Mental Models into "how to evaluate such a model for quality" as soon as possible. Otherwise the novelty o

It'd be nice if we could move the conversation about Mental Models into "how to evaluate such a model for quality" as soon as possible. Otherwise the novelty of the most recent proliferation of the term is pushing critics to decide "good or bad" regarding _mental models in general_, which is, to be frank, pretty dumb. Certainly such a dichotomy is much worse by itself than a broad field in which some poor models, applied poorly, are mixed in with a lot of really great examples. And I guess this doesn't even get into the value proposition of a task like cataloging mental models and/or quantifying them via simple lists...mental models are a core aspect of human psychology and there's really an impressive amount of depth to the topic. Ramming a bunch of them together for quantity seems like a good way to make readers feel either over-confident or overwhelmed.

yellow_lead 7y ago
Questions answered from different mental models will get you different answers. Just as important as having these different "mental models" or "perspectives" (if you will) is discerning which is correct. AKA thinking for yourself. In my mind, a mental model is only useful for generating ideas from which you can gain another insight. No model has the right answer for every question.
- themodelplumber 7y ago
  Ah, but that's the subjective-leaning perspective on mental models. The yin of our yin and yang here! The objective-leaning perspective may reel a bit from the "think for yourself" critique by the subjective side, but it counters with "don't reinvent the wheel" and tends to be hyper-efficient at integrating outside thought into the current context. (BTW thank you for your comment, this gets into the good stuff)
- lowdose 7y ago
  Would be nice though to map which models are most relevant for specific questions.
  - themodelplumber 7y ago
    Validity, accuracy, reliability...science has helped us go a long way toward sorting it out. We've come so far in our measurement that there has begun a stringent internal critique of our time-tested models for measurement of those criteria.
- andrewflnr 7y ago
  All very true, but I suspect you'll still find that some models are more frequently applicable, some more rarely, and some very frequently deceptive unless handled carefully. Those are good (albeit highly subjective) measures of quality.
andrewflnr 7y ago
I fully, strongly agree with everything here, especially regarding the folly of trying to evaluate "mental models in general". To clarify, lest I sound self-contradictory: my complaint is not with all mental models in general, but with the segment of discourse[0] that tries to point them out as a special thing. In fact, it's that selection into a group that invites the fallacious evaluation of the whole group. Furthermore, I think you've touched on something interesting with the point about cataloging or listing Mental Models. Part of it is the aforementioned point about inviting judgment on the group as a whole, but that's not all. It's a really odd collection of entities to put in one basket. Mostly all they have in common is that they exist in the mind, so what gets included in practice seems kind of arbitrary. In particular, putting them all on (even superficially) equal footing is dangerous. [0] Please forgive me if I'm inventing or misusing this term. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
- james_s_tayler 7y ago
  Mental Models are nothing more than useful hueristics to help you navigate and understand reality. Whether a mental model ends up with a name on a list is largely down to it's utility in aiding that for a wide audience. In my experience they have been extremely useful.

yellow_lead 7y ago

Questions answered from different mental models will get you different answers. Just as important as having these different "mental models" or "perspectives" (if you will) is discerning which is correct. AKA thinking for yourself. In my mind, a mental model is only useful for generating ideas from which you can gain another insight. No model has the right answer for every question.

themodelplumber 7y ago
Ah, but that's the subjective-leaning perspective on mental models. The yin of our yin and yang here! The objective-leaning perspective may reel a bit from the "think for yourself" critique by the subjective side, but it counters with "don't reinvent the wheel" and tends to be hyper-efficient at integrating outside thought into the current context. (BTW thank you for your comment, this gets into the good stuff)
lowdose 7y ago
Would be nice though to map which models are most relevant for specific questions.
- themodelplumber 7y ago
  Validity, accuracy, reliability...science has helped us go a long way toward sorting it out. We've come so far in our measurement that there has begun a stringent internal critique of our time-tested models for measurement of those criteria.
andrewflnr 7y ago
All very true, but I suspect you'll still find that some models are more frequently applicable, some more rarely, and some very frequently deceptive unless handled carefully. Those are good (albeit highly subjective) measures of quality.

andrewflnr 7y ago

I fully, strongly agree with everything here, especially regarding the folly of trying to evaluate "mental models in general". To clarify, lest I sound self-contradictory: my complaint is not with all mental models in general, but with the segment of discourse[0] that tries to point them out as a special thing. In fact, it's that selection into a group that invites the fallacious evaluation of the whole group. Furthermore, I think you've touched on something interesting with the point about cataloging or listing Mental Models. Part of it is the aforementioned point about inviting judgment on the group as a whole, but that's not all. It's a really odd collection of entities to put in one basket. Mostly all they have in common is that they exist in the mind, so what gets included in practice seems kind of arbitrary. In particular, putting them all on (even superficially) equal footing is dangerous. [0] Please forgive me if I'm inventing or misusing this term. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

james_s_tayler 7y ago
Mental Models are nothing more than useful hueristics to help you navigate and understand reality. Whether a mental model ends up with a name on a list is largely down to it's utility in aiding that for a wide audience. In my experience they have been extremely useful.