Individual Mental Representations Research Articles

Individual perspectives and mental maps of working conditions and intention to stay of physicians in academic medicine.

Job satisfaction has a strong impact on the intention to stay which is an important aspect to counter skills shortage in academic medicine. The purpose of the three studies reported here is to find out what specific factors are relevant for the intention to stay and turnover intention of physicians in academic medicine -and what measures might have a positive impact on employee retention. In an interview study combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we investigated how the individual mental representation of working conditions influences job satisfaction and its impact on the intention to stay. In total, 178 physicians from German university hospitals, residents, and physicians, in 15 departments of anesthesiology were interviewed and surveyed. In a first study, chief physicians participated in interviews about job satisfaction in academic hospitals. Answers were segmented into statements, ordered by topics, and rated according to their valence. In a second study, assistant physicians during and after their training period talked about strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements of working conditions. Answers were segmented, ordered, rated, and used to develop a "satisfaction scale." In a third study, physicians participated in a computer-led repertory grid procedure composing 'mental maps' of job satisfaction factors, filled in the job satisfaction scale and rated if they would recommend work and training in their clinic as well as their intention to stay. Comparing the interview results with recommendation rates and intention to stay show that high workload and poor career perspectives are linked to a negative attitude. A positive attitude towards work environment and high intention to stay is based on sufficient personnel and technical capacities, reliable duty scheduling and fair salaries. The third study using repertory grids showed that the perception of current teamwork and future developments concerning work environment were the main aspects to improve job satisfaction and the intention to stay. The results of the interview studies were used to develop an array of adaptive improvement measure. The results support prior findings that job dissatisfaction is mostly based on generally known "hygiene factors" and whereas job satisfaction is due to individual aspects.

Getting Our Ontology Right: A Critique of Language and Culture in the Work of François Jullien

This article presents a cognitive anthropological critique of François Jullien’s approach to language and culture. Jullien approaches ‘culture’ as a coherent set of concepts across time and space, relying primarily on identifying Chinese (and Greek) thought with particular concepts expressed in language. This mischaracterizes human culture, which exists on the level of individual mental representations, and relies on a form of linguistic determinism which fails to stand in the face of psychological and anthropological evidence. This leads Jullien to claim an incredible degree of cultural (and ontological) divergence between the Chinese and Europeans. By accounting for the distribution and dynamism of mental representations, the degree to which thought is underdetermined by language, and above all the divergence of intuitive and reflective cognition on the individual level, we can arrive at an alternative, ontologically realistic account of cultural divergence.

A data-driven, hyper-realistic method for visualizing individual mental representations of faces.

Research in person and face perception has broadly focused on group-level consensus that individuals hold when making judgments of others (e.g., “X type of face looks trustworthy”). However, a growing body of research demonstrates that individual variation is larger than shared, stimulus-level variation for many social trait judgments. Despite this insight, little research to date has focused on building and explaining individual models of face perception. Studies and methodologies that have examined individual models are limited in what visualizations they can reliably produce to either noisy and blurry or computer avatar representations. Methods that produce low-fidelity visual representations inhibit generalizability by being clearly computer manipulated and produced. In the present work, we introduce a novel paradigm to visualize individual models of face judgments by leveraging state-of-the-art computer vision methods. Our proposed method can produce a set of photorealistic face images that correspond to an individual's mental representation of a specific attribute across a variety of attribute intensities. We provide a proof-of-concept study which examines perceived trustworthiness/untrustworthiness and masculinity/femininity. We close with a discussion of future work to substantiate our proposed method.

Implicit Theories on Learning Assessment and the Use of Triangulation as a Means of Qualitative Validity and Reliability

This article discusses assessment practices in primary education and implicit theories in teaching. Cultural practice and social interactions in the classroom create personal experiences, which are the basis for teachers’ individual mental representations, known as implicit theories. These conceptions guide their teaching, but they are not generally studied, unlike the theories of the scientific community. Although implicit theories may be different, teachers from the same educational institution generally share them and they regulate them in relation to the context. This study seeks to identify and interpret the implicit theories on learning assessment of a primary school teacher in Puno, Peru. The methodology used was grounded theory. For this purpose, the empirical method, such as participant observation and in-depth interviews, was used. The main result was identifying in the teacher an assessment practice with a prevalence of constructive and interpretive theory traits.

Cognitive Interaction Technology in Sport—Improving Performance by Individualized Diagnostics and Error Prediction

The interdisciplinary research area Cognitive Interaction Technology (CIT) aims to understand and support interactions between human users and other elements of socio-technical systems. Important reasons for the new interest in understanding CIT in sport psychology are the impressive development of cognitive robotics and advanced technologies such as virtual or augmented reality systems, cognitive glasses or neurotechnology settings. The present article outlines this area of research, addresses ethical issues, and presents an empirical study in the context of a new measurement and assessment system for training in karate. Recent advances in the field of cognitive assistance systems enabled largely automatized assessments of individual mental representation structures for action sequences, such as choreographed movement patterns in dance or martial arts. Empirical investigations with karate practitioners of different skill levels demonstrate that advanced software-based survey and algorithmic analysis procedures based on cognitive models generate individualized performance predictions for a movement sequence from the Kanku-dai kata (a pre-defined karate movement sequence), which correlated significantly not only with formal expertise (kyu/dan rank) but also with the actual likelihood of mistakes in action execution. This information could prospectively be used to define individual training goals for deliberate practice and incorporated into cognitive interaction technology to provide appropriate feedback. We argue that the development of cognitive interaction systems for sport should explicitly take ethical issues into consideration and present a particular developed engineering approach. The potential benefits of such an assistance system for intermediate and advanced practitioners include more effective and flexible practice, as well as supportive effects, and more flexible training schedules. Furthermore, we argue that researchers from the field of sport psychology can benefit from advances in technological systems that enhance the understanding of mental and motor control in skilled voluntary action.

A price dynamic equilibrium model with trading volume weights based on a price-volume probability wave differential equation

Guided by a price-volume probability wave differential equation in a new mathematical method, we study intraday market dynamic equilibrium in stock market. We select intraday cumulative trading volume distribution over a price range as individual mental representation and determine a price equilibrium point by the maximum volume utility price. We propose the hypothesis that a stock price can deviate away from the equilibrium point in momentum and restore to it in reversal, and the volume distribution embodies market dynamic equilibrium. Then, we examine it by a set of explicit price dynamic equilibrium models with trading volume weights from the differential equation against a large number of the price-volume distribution using tick-by-tick high frequency data in Chinese stock market in 2019. It holds true. We can infer that the theory is applied for a broader scope because it embraces core mathematical components in expected utility theory, prospect theory, and reflexivity theory.

A Price Dynamic Equilibrium Model with Trading Volume Weights Based on a Price-Volume Probability Wave Differential Equation

Guided by a price-volume probability wave differential equation in a new mathematical method, we study intraday market dynamic equilibrium in stock market. We select intraday cumulative trading volume distribution over a price range for individual mental representation and determine a price equilibrium point by the maximum volume utility price. We propose the hypothesis that a stock price can deviate away from the equilibrium point in momentum and restore to it in reversal, and the volume distribution embodies market dynamic equilibrium. Then, we examine it by a set of explicit price dynamic equilibrium models with trading volume weights from the differential equation against a large number of the price-volume distribution using tick-by-tick high frequency data in Chinese stock market in 2019. It holds true. We can infer that the theory is applied for a broader scope because it embraces core mathematical components in expected utility theory, prospect theory, and reflexivity theory.

ДИНАМИКА ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНЫХ ПСИХИЧЕСКИХ РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЙ ЛОЯЛЬНОСТИ

ДИНАМИКА ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНЫХ ПСИХИЧЕСКИХ РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЙ ЛОЯЛЬНОСТИ

Arithmetic word problems describing discrete quantities: E.E.G evidence for the construction of a situation model

In this research, university students were asked to solve arithmetic word problems constructed either with discrete quantities, such as apples or marbles, or continuous quantities such as meters of rope or grams of sand. An analysis of their brain activity showed different alpha levels between the two types of problems with, in particular, a lower alpha power in the parieto-occipital area for problems describing discrete quantities. This suggests that processing discrete quantities during problem solving prompts more mental imagery than processing continuous quantities. These results are difficult to reconcile with the schema theory, according to which arithmetic problem solving depends on the activation of ready-made mental frames stored in long-term memory and triggered by the mathematical expression used in the texts. Within the schema framework, the nature of the objects described in the text should be quickly abstracted during problem solving because it cannot impact the semantic structure of the problem. On the contrary, our results support the situation model theory, which places greater emphasis on the problem context in order to account for individuals' behaviour. On a more methodological point of view, this study constitutes the first attempt to infer the characteristics of individual's mental representations of arithmetic text problems from EEG recordings. This opens the door for the application of brain activity measures in the field of arithmetic word problem.

Institutions as a Composite Concept: Explaining their Indeterminate Relationships with Economic Outcomes

Development economics witnessed an ‘institutional turn’ from the 1990s onwards, with an increasing number of studies examining the two-way relationships between institutions and growth or individual incomes. Most of these studies, however, rely on mathematical models with empirical evidence being analysed via econometrics, thus assuming the possibility that given institutions may be subsumed under quantifiable variables. Many possible channels of causality have been highlighted over time and are in fine inconclusive. The context-dependence of causalities has been underscored in the literature. This paper goes further, building an original conceptual framework that articulates concepts from development economics, evolutionary theories of institutions and cognitive psychology. Firstly, the paper argues that the modelling of causalities is hindered by the very nature of the concept of institutions: these are composite entities and include varieties of ‘forms’ and ‘contents,’ which are driven by heterogeneous evolutionary dynamics and combine between themselves according to contexts. The concept of institution thus does not have the properties of semantic precision and stability in time and space that is yet required by modelling. What econometric studies measure are indeed some public attributes (‘forms’) of an institution, but this gives little information on the beliefs that individuals have about a given institution. Building on this first argument, the second argument is that this ex ante causal indeterminacy (on economic outcomes) is compounded by the heterogeneity of institutions. Some institutions have the property in individual mental representations to be more resilient than others, notably those governing group memberships: in the context of a limited presence of other institutions (e.g., those created by states) they exhibit a greater social dissemination – but cumulative causation may generate ‘institutional traps.’ Understanding these ‘core’ institutions may explain the vicious circles in which some developing regions seem to be caught. JEL Codes: O10, O43, B52

Rethinking Meaning: An Ecological Perspective on Language

Abstract In a view of language as part of embodied and situated cognition, reduction of its meaning to individual mental representations ceases to be sufficient. Language relies on and at the same time enables distributed cognition thus the key aspects of meaning are in the interaction of individuals within their world. This special issue is an outcome of a workshop, which gathered representatives of several disciplines in a common effort to find appropriate theoretical concepts for the characterization of those aspects of meaning that lie in the mutual constraining between language and collective practice. The emerging picture is complex, involving multimodal participatory construction of meaning in multiple systems and on multiple timescales. The Authors, however propose also several innovative methods to navigate this complexity. In this short introduction we aim at placing the works contained in this issue on a broader map of ongoing efforts to understand language as a proper part of human ecology.

Mechanics and dynamics of social construction: Modeling the emergence of culture from individual mental representation

This paper presents a parsimonious model of social construction that can be extended and applied by researchers interested in unpacking how culture emerges from individual meaning-making. Using a review of contemporary cognition research, it first hones in on the mental representation processes which drive individual sense-making in social situations. It then uses agent-based modeling (ABM), a modern simulation tool used to theorize how emergent phenomena arise from individual behaviors, to systematically demonstrate how this cognitive mechanism generates macro-level dynamics. Specifically, it shows how mental representation processes can account for cultural emergence and subgrouping, cultural path dependency and lock-in, endogenous cultural change, and the manifestation of these collective dynamics as variations in individuals’ experiences of culture. The final part of the paper discusses a few initial implications of this work including the expanded use of ABM in cultural theory, testing and verification of this theoretical work using Implicit Association Testing (IAT) and large-scale quantitative analyses, and this model's significance for existing qualitative approaches to the study of culture.

Evaluation of cutaneous body image dissatisfaction in the dermatology patient

Cutaneous body image (CBI), defined as the individual's mental representation of his or her skin, hair, and nails, is an important clinical factor in dermatologic disorders and often the primary consideration in deciding whether to proceed with cosmetic procedures or institute treatment in some skin disorders such as acne. CBI is a highly subjective construct that can be significantly confounded by cultural, psychosocial, and psychiatric factors. Assessment of CBI in the dermatology patient is best accomplished using a biopsychosocial model that involves (1) evaluation of concerns about the appearance of the skin, hair, and nails, (2) assessment of comorbid body image pathologies, especially body dysmorphic disorder, and (3) assessment of other psychiatric comorbidities such as major depressive disorder that can confound the presentation of the CBI complaint. Depending on the psychiatric comobidities, an assessment of suicide risk may have to be done, and if necessary, a referral made to a mental health professional. The clinician should consider the patient's developmental stage (eg, body image concerns are likely to be much greater in the adolescent patient independent of his or her dermatologic disorder) and sociocultural background (eg, a desire for lighter skin in some ethnic groups), factors that can also have a major effect on CBI.

Wittgenstein, Pretend Play and the Transferred Use of Language

This essay sketches the potential implications of Wittgensteinian thought for conceptualizations of socalled fictive mental states, e.g. mental calculating, imagination, pretend play, as they are currently discussed in developmental psychology and philosophy of mind. In developmental psychology the young child's pretend play and make‐belief are seen as a manifestation of the command of an underlying individualistic “theory of mind”. When saying “This banana is a telephone” the child's mind entertains simultaneously two mental representations, a primary or veridical representation about the real properties of banana's and a pretend representation. It is the task of psychology to explain how this “double knowledge” does not result in conceptual chaos. Various sorts of internal mechanisms are postulated. In this essay it is argued that the threat of chaos is misconceived, and that the solutions are irrelevant. Following Wittgenstein's sparse remarks about the secondary sense of words, I argue that pretend language does not refer to underlying individual mental representations but to the child's creative transference of words used in one, primary, domain of application to another, secondary domain. The command and use of the secondary domain logically presupposes the command and use of the primary domain. Since the latter domain is necessarily public and social, fictive mental states cannot be dealt with purely individualistically as current mentalism assumes.

Cognitive Mapping: Its Use as an Assessment Tool for Disordered Eating

The incidence of eating disorders among female athletes continues to increase, presenting intervention challenges to athletic trainers. Additionally, a number of female athletes have disordered eating behaviors that do not yet constitute an eating disorder diagnosis, but have similar characteristics to those athletes diagonised with eating disorders. However, each athlete exhibits individual mental representations of disordered eating and the impact of those representations on important aspects of her life. The athletic trainer has the potential to offer comprehensive preventive education when all aspects of the athlete’s own understanding of disordered eating are assessed. Cognitive mapping is an assessment technique that can be used in addition to other preventive practices and can be useful in determining an athlete’s current mental representations of disordered eating.

Understanding and facilitating group problem structuring and formulation: Mental representations, interaction, and representation aids

Many issues facing the organizations of today are complex and ill-structured. The complexity of these issues do not lend themselves to structuring and formulation by quantitative models, nor simple intuitive problem solving. Rather, making sense of these situations necessitates considering and oftentimes negotiating alternative models of the ill-structured situation. The use of groups is one way to gain access to alternative perspectives. In this paper, we argue that individual mental representations are the underlying basis of group interaction and communication. And, that these internal representations can be formalized in external representations that may be useful to facilitate interaction and communication as a group strives to create a shared problem perspective. Based on this theoretical foundation, we explored these ideas by examining small groups using representational aids during the process of structuring and formulating a problem. While descriptive in nature, this study provides insights on the successful use of representational aids and suggests that these aids can positively impact problem structuring and formulation by facilitating the sharing of alternative perspectives.