===== Mental Model Theory Of Thinking And Reasoning =====

Mental models are **minds representations of fictive or real situations**. Idea that mind uses "small-scale models" to perceive reality was first introduced by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Craik|Kenneth Craik]] in 1943 and the idea was further developed by [[http://weblamp.princeton.edu/~psych/psychology/research/johnson_laird/index.php|Phil Johnson-Laird]] during 1980s.

Ih his book "Mental Models" Johnson-Laird claims that "it is now plausible to suppose that **mental models play a central and unifying role in representing objects, states of affairs, sequences of events**, the way the world is, and the social and psychological actions of daily life".

Mental models are **simplified representations**, **constantly changing** and typically **include wrong assumptions or contradictions**. 


===== Bibliography =====

[[http://www.tcd.ie/Psychology/other/Ruth_Byrne/mental_models/|Mental Models Website.]]

[[http://tip.psychology.org/models.html|TIP: Concepts. Mental Models.]]