Hot buttons after some of the paragraphs will take you to more detailed descriptions. Or you may go directly to the more detailed descriptions by clicking on the buttons below. My research in this area consists of two strands, which I am pursuing in parallel. One strand involves a detailed analysis of the types of problem structures for which each type of representation is best suited. In effect, this analysis specifies the applicability conditions for each of the representations.
Preliminary evidence provides good support for the proposed structural analysis.
My second strand of research in this area concerns the nature and content of students' knowledge about these representations, as well as their use of this knowledge in situations involving problem solving and analytical reasoning. That is, their reasoning using these types of representations does not seem to rely solely on example-based knowledge. Research currently in progress will provide more specific tests of the proposed structural analysis. My interest in thinking with diagrams extends beyond the spatial diagrams just discussed. I have recently become interested in the role of iconic diagrams in facilitating the execution of a set of procedural instructions.