As many physicians know, pattern recognition is an important component of clinical medicine. In a similar way, learners look for meaning by organizing and categorizing information.
Concept maps represent a visual method for organizing information.
The concept map developer then looks for patterns and relationships among the concepts. Another principle of brain-based learning states that the brain processes parts and wholes simultaneously. As Caine and Caine suggest, . . . Students who have difficulty integrating course material tend to be of two types, i.e., those who focus too much on details or those who understand very broad principles but have a poor grasp of details. Concept maps help them derive an overall structure within which to learn the details.