engleski

Refining Mental Models Through Adaptive Learning

Due to his limited cognitive capabilities, the decision maker resorts to the use of mental models, which represent reduced versions of real world dynamics. Furthermore, the human cognitive apparatus is inherently subjective. Reason for subjectivity of perception is limited information processing capacity. The limited cognitive capacity is also the most significant reason the complexity of the world around us. If the limitation of conscious thinking is fundamental obstacle to understanding the world, the question is which methods are available to improve decision- making? This paper approaches the question in hand through the concept of adaptive learning described as a process of thinking in action. We argue that, in order to be useful, the initial mental model needs to be improved by adding additional schemata and additional connections between schemata. Mental models are therefore constantly updated with new experience and knowledge which is basically a learning process. Through the learning process, mental models can be refined to better represent real dynamics of decision making situation. Learning about the concepts is about building set of expectations which enables us to deal with the situation in hand.

Decision making; Learning; Mental models

Rad je objavljen je i u Knjizi sažetaka ; str. 57-58 ; ISBN 978-953-8079-00-9.