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CS376 2008 04 24 Distributed Cognition Discussant Sara Mitchell

The document discusses the concept of distributed cognition, emphasizing the importance of representation in problem-solving and cognitive processes. It contrasts epistemic and pragmatic actions, highlighting how different representations can facilitate or hinder understanding and task performance. Additionally, it raises questions about the implications of representation choices and cognitive load in design and user experience.

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25 views18 pages

CS376 2008 04 24 Distributed Cognition Discussant Sara Mitchell

The document discusses the concept of distributed cognition, emphasizing the importance of representation in problem-solving and cognitive processes. It contrasts epistemic and pragmatic actions, highlighting how different representations can facilitate or hinder understanding and task performance. Additionally, it raises questions about the implications of representation choices and cognitive load in design and user experience.

Uploaded by

joyaluca2
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Distributed Cognition

Sara Mitchell
Statement

Agree Disagree
Microsoft is smart for
wanting to take over
Yahoo.

Agree Disagree
“Intelligence comes from
being able to create
cognitive artifacts that
help us” - Marcia Lee
Agree Disagree
The difference between
epistemic and pragmatic
actions is clear.

Agree Disagree
“Pragmatic actions (if
possible) are always
superior than epistemic”
– Chen Wu
Agree Disagree
Roman numerals: way
easier.

Agree Disagree
Theme: Representation makes a difference…

• language, imagery in advertising


• selling your house
• dressing for an interview
• informational displays
• interfaces

“…solving a problem simply means representing it


so as to make the solution transparent” (Simon
153).
Slides from Professor Boroditsky
The Power of Representation
Donald Norman

“The powers of cognition come from abstraction and


representation… for if the representation and the
processes are just right, then new experiences, insights,
and creations can emerge.”

Cognitive artifacts – constructed device to support external representations


a representation of a representation

Experiential artifacts – provide ways to experience and act on the world


Reflective artifacts – provide ways to modify and act on representations

Examples where how information is displayed makes a problem easier/more


difficult.
“With the appropriate choice of representation, hard tasks become easy”
On Distinguishing Epistemic from
Pragmatic Action
David Kirsh and Paul Maglio

“What actions can an agent perform


that will make the task more
manageable, easier to compute?”

Epistemic actions – physical actions that make mental computation easier, faster,
or more reliable
Pragmatic actions – primary function to bring the agent closer to the physical goal

Exemplified in Tetris: translate-to-wall and rotate to save mental rotation, among


others.
• What are some of the
dangers of abstraction and
of choosing a
representation? Jae min
John, Brett Miller

• Does the concept of epistemic action extend to beyond a game and


into the real world? Robert Travis
• Are epistemic actions easier for the more expert user? Amal Aziz
• Are there limits to experiential representations? Marcia Lee
• Why do we have so many bad representations? Neema Moraveji,
Greg Schwartz
• What might be some drawbacks of designing to reduce the user’s
cognitive load? Do you give anything up?
• Norman states that a good representation captures the essential
elements of an event and leaves out everything else. Suchman claims
that actions are highly context specific. – Antonio Ricciardi
How can we understand this apparent contradiction?

• Prototyping – epistemic or pragmatic? Yeonsoo Yang

• How do we build representations differently for humans versus


machines? Mike Krieger, Chen Wu

• Can representations affect one’s beliefs in ways that are external to


the representation itself? - Loren Yu

• Kirsh and Maglio put emphasis on reflective action while Norman


puts more emphasis on experiential. Nick Briggs
Epistemic actions help us think.. Norman suggests the less thinking
the easier we have it. Thoughts?
• What are some things you do in your own life to reduce your
cognitive load?

• Was that effective for the people’s task, not for mine? – Yeonsoo
Yang, Jason Robinson
Can we design to support how multiple people think? Do people
think in the same way?

• Are there advantages to choosing one form of representation over


another (experiential, reflective)? Amal Aziz

• Are there advantages to using multiple experiential and reflective


representations? Yeonsoo Yang

• What would be some ways in which we could evaluate whether a


certain representation is the right one for the problem? - William
Choi
How can we design to reduce the user’s cognitive
load?
Can we represent our own research data
differently to help us understand it better? :)

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