Mental model

A mental model is the collection of images, thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that people form intentionally or unintentionally because of their experiences. These images, thoughts, beliefs, or ideas can be based on real or imagined experiences. Mental models form people’s perception of the world and help them decode or understand the things around them. People can use mental models to simulate an event or experience as a way of practicing or reasoning out some aspect of life. Mental models also have an application in how humans interact with computers.

Overview

American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce was the first to mention “mental experiments” that people use to help reason through experiences in 1896. Scottish psychologist Kenneth Craik suggested a similar concept in Nature of Explanation in 1943, proposing that people create models of reality that they use when anticipating or imagining planned events to form mental pictures of what might happen. Since that time, others have investigated various aspects of the mental model concept. Some avenues of research include how children form mental models, the ways in which the mental models differ among people, and how models influence feelings and thoughts. Some researchers are also examining how the ways people form mental models can help with the design of websites and computer programs that will be compatible with human thought processes.

Psychologists believe that mental models help people form a worldview that provides stability amid life’s changes. For instance, having a mental model of a relationship with a significant other where that person is kind and loving will help a person cope when the significant other is having a bad day and acts less than kind. However, no two mental models are the same, even if two people experience the same thing at the same time. For example, if two people tour a house together, they may agree on details such as when they went and what rooms they went through, but each person will form a mental model of the tour based on the details that were most meaningful to them.

Even though every mental model is different, researchers have identified some characteristics they all share. First, the models mimic the real experience in structure. For instance, a person forming mental models of what it will be like to take a driving test will develop models that include the car that will be used, the examiner, and what is known about the course. This will happen regardless of whether the mental model is of passing or failing the test. This occurs because another characteristic is that all the models created about a situation (in this case, taking a driving test) include the things that the various models have in common (for this model, the car, the examiner, and the course).

Another common characteristic is that models emphasize truth and possibility over fallacy. In most cases, people favor mental models that lead to positive outcomes. While this tendency creates more pleasant models, it also can cause people to overlook facts that do not fit with the preferred positive outcome. This is especially true when the mental model involves something very important to an individual, such as a cherished ideal or belief. These characteristics together help people reconcile real life with their beliefs, values, and experiences. A 2024 study found that shared team mental models improve coordination, problem-solving, and overall team performance when aligned on tasks and team relationships, but they may also lead to groupthink, reducing individual proactivity. In the 2020s, researchers have increasingly applied the concept of mental models to human–artificial intelligence (AI) interaction, studying how people’s beliefs about an AI system affect their trust, questioning, and reliance on it.

Bibliography

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