Jessica Lipnack asks (LO9311):
> Does anyone know the origin of the term "mental model?" Was this
> a Peter Senge invention in FIFTH DISCIPLINE or did it originate
> elsewhere? I need this info for a book I'm writing.
It appears to have originated in cognitive psychology in the early
1980s. Two books called "Mental Models" were published in 1983, one a
collection of papers edited by Dedre Gentner and Albert L. Stevens
(Hillsdale, N.J.: Laurence Erlbaum); the other a book by Philip N.
Johnson-Laird (Cambridge University Press). Both are worth a look; they
may give earlier references as well.
The phrase was in general use in cognitive psychology, especially as
applied to the philosophy of mind and to the analysis of human-computer
interaction, from that time on. I presume that's where Senge got it
from; I think I remember seeing a reference in the 5th Discipline
Fieldbook to that effect.
It also relates, I suppose to the general use of the word Weltanschauung
(German for "worldview"), which I'm told is common in clinical psychology to
denote the set of assumptions and preconceptions someone has about the world;
and has also become popular in management circles following Peter
Checkland's use of the term in his Soft Systems Methodology.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Magnus Ramage
--Magnus Ramage Computing Dept, Lancaster University, LA1 4YR, UK Email: magnus@comp.lancs.ac.uk Web: http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/staff/magnus.html
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>