Definition

The mental representation is a representation which one has, by the thought, of an image or one of a situation. A mental representation can be about reality or fiction.

General information

the mental representation should not be confused with the techniques of cerebral Imagerie.

A mental representation or cognitive representation is the image that an individual is done of a situation. It is with the confluence of the feelings and the Mémoire. In a given situation, the feelings will cause the activation of contained informations in memory what will cause the reactions of the subject. As any human activity is organized for an end, the concept of representation is close to that of mental state, and thus of the concept of Intentionnalité.

From the point of view of the Materialism identity, a representation will be a state of the Nervous system, having relations with objects - states of the organization or Environnement.

Statute of the representation

The representations are varied: images, memory, concepts, emotions… One can distinguish several representations:

It is also possible to distinguish representations of the world and representations of oneself.

Cognitive psychology considers that all the representations are not conscious, although this point differs from the concept of Inconscient in Psychanalyse.

The statute of the representation remains discussed, and calls several theoretical points.

Intentional representations

The Intentionnalité describes the mental states like adopting the form: I fear, I believe, I wish that. P , or P is a proposal.

One can distinguish two aspects from a representation: intentional and intrinsic.

Information

The Information can be stored in the form of code. The object of cognitive psychology will be this Data processing.

The representation opposes two aspects, cognitive and intrinsic, or cognitive a quantity of information indicates, a precision of information.

Symbolism

The thought symbolic system is not all the cognitive activity. There exist representations not symbolic systems.

Total and modular

The distinction between total and modular is subjected to a wide-ranging debate.

Modular representations

The modular representations are specific of a sensory method, for example the sight.

Total representation

A total representation is polysensorielle; par excellence this indicates the thought Abstrait E.

Functions of the mental representations

The mental representations have relations with the social Représentation, for what touches with the imaginary collective, the organization Social E, and the construction of systems symbolic systems.

Certain personalities in various disciplines, like Georges Duby in History, and Marc Trough in Anthropology, recognized and clarified the function of the Représentation in the constitution of the orders and the social reports/ratios, the orientation of the collective behaviors and the transformation of the social world.

The concept adapted to industry

In the industrial field, in particular for the companies confronted at the particularly important risks (aviation, nuclear power…) research was undertaken to make it possible to the operators to have the mental representation nearest of reality.

One of the examples more striking is the Nuclear accident of Three Mile Island, due to an handling error by operators who had a mental representation of the state of the installation different from reality. Having badly interpreted a signal, they believed wrongly that a valve was closed, which led them to engage of the operations which caused the fusion of the nuclear reactor finally.

This research, based in particular on the Communications theory, led to the improvement of the ergonomics of the man/machine interfaces, the organization of work and the culture of work to limit the possibilities of bad interpretation and to correct them.

See too

Random links:Warren Tay | Daf 55 | Wheels One My Heels | Book of a return to the native land | Craeybeckxtunnel