Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Analogical Problem Solving With Visual Models
Jim Davies, Nancy J. Nersessian, Ashok K. Goel {jimmyd, nancyn, goel}@cc.gatech.edu
Program in Cognitive ScienceGeorgia Institute of Technology
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Outline• Background: where these ideas are
coming from• Our computational account of
visual analogy• Examples: radiation problem and
Maxwell’s case study
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Motivation
• People use analogy and visual reasoning when problem solving – In Scientific theory creation
• Nersessian’s cognitive-historical analysis of Maxwell
– Psychological studies support this
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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This Work• This work builds a new, cognitively
informed, computational theory of visual analogy for problem solving, one form of which is scientific discovery.
• We hypothesize that representing problems as visual abstractions facilitates the analogical process in problem solving.
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Visual Analogy
• Visual analogy is analogy with visual elements
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Bitmap Images
• Neuron432: on• Neuron479: off• Neuron200: off• Neuron136: off• Neuron326: on• Neuron344: on
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Symbolic ImagesSymbolic Image
contains contains
square
contains
circle triangle
inside right-of
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Symbols Are Mapped
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Goel’s Computational Work• Structure-Behavior-Function: Goel et al.
1997• IDEAL: Bhatta & Goel 1997
– Generic Teleological Mechanisms• ToRQUE: Griffith, Nersessian, Goel 2000.
– Generic Structural Transformations
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Primitive Visualization Language (Privlan)
• Primitive visual transformations (privits)
• Primitive visual elements (privels)• Symbolic images (simages)
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Privits: Primitive Visual Transformations
• Decompose (object, number)• Move (object, new-location)
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Privels: Primitive Visual Elements
• Line (thickness, start point, end point)
• Generic-Visual-Element (size, location)
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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System: Galatea
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Maxwell’s Model Development
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Generic Abstraction
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Primitive Visualization Language (Privlan)
• Primitive visual transformations (privits)– Add-component, decompose, move
• Primitive visual elements (privels)– Circle, line, generic-visual-element
• Symbolic images (simages)
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Conclusions• Galatea has been applied to two examples,
supporting our computational theory of visual analogy and Privlan.
• This implementation has provided support for visual interpretations of the Duncker case and Nersessian’s interpretation of the Maxwell case.
• We conjecture that visual representations and generic abstractions are useful for a wide variety of problem-solving instances, including scientific discovery.
Davies, J., Nersessian, N. J., & Goel, A. K. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research/visual-analogy/ May 2001
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Thank You
• http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/research /visual-analogy/