Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!wugate!uunet!mcsun!sunic!bmc!kuling!larso
From: larso@emil.CSD.UU.Se (Lars Oestreicher)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: What is the difference between a metaphor and a mental model?
Keywords: mental models, metaphors
Message-ID: <1215@kuling.UUCP>
Date: 23 Oct 89 14:49:25 GMT
References: <31966@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender: news@kuling.UUCP
Reply-To: larso@emil.CSD.UU.Se (Lars Oestreicher)
Organization: Uppsala University, dept. of Computer Science
Lines: 41
In-reply-to: thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (Thom Gillespie)
Posting-Front-End: Gnews 2.0

>It seems to me that you can find metaphors but you can't find mental
>models. Is this my imagination? Please don't tell me that a mental model
>is a bunch of metaphors. I was browsing thru Donald Normans book "User
>Centered System Design" and noticed that there is no index entry for
>metaphors, just for mental models. So where have all the metaphors gone?

Apparently, metaphors are not the same thing as mental models. First, it is
necessary to realize that the concept of "a mental model" is not a commonly
agreed upon concept. I will just give the point of view that I find useful,
based upon discussions with colleagues.

A mental model is something that is in the head of the person. It is
therefore not possible to study directly. Instead we have to study the
results from the person's use of his/her mental model. Therefore, e.g., in
computer usage, an incorrect action in a computer system might (but only
might) be a result of the user having an incorrect mental model. The form
of the mental model, i.e., it's "shape in the mind" is in most cases
impossible to define or study. In my opinion the representation issue
constitutes a less interesting question. It is more important to study how
the mental model can be improved, i.e., give the user better support in
using systems.

A metaphor (or rather analogy) is an aid for a user, but is to me of a
more "physical" kind. It is more a given model of a system like "the
desktop", "the mail system", etc. Analogies are useful for instructing
people, but asn analogy is not the same thing as a mental model. On the
other hand, the mental model may use analogies in some users' minds.

I agree, the mental model is *not* a bunch of metaphors, but rather a much
more complex structure. 

Hope some people agrees with this, otherwise I look forward to an
interesting discussion on this topic. Please, let us use no flames in this
debate, since I feel that this topic is touchy.
-- 
SMail: Lars Oestreicher 	 	Email: larso@emil.CSD.UU.SE
       Dept. of Computing Science
       Uppsala University   	 
       P.O. Box 520		 	Phone: Int. +46 - 18 18 10 19
       S-751 20  Uppsala	 	       Nat. 018 - 18 10 19
            SWEDEN