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ERIC Number: ED490076
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Jul
Pages: 138
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Thought Experiments in Physics Problem-solving: On Intuition and Imagistic Simulation
Georgiou, Andreas
Online Submission
This study is part of a larger research agenda, which includes future doctoral study, aiming to investigate the psychological processes of thought experiments. How do thought-experimenters establish relations between their imaginary worlds and the physical one? How does a technique devoid of new sensory input result to new empirical knowledge? In this study I investigate the following claims as possible answers: that intuition grounds the behaviour of an imaginary scenario in the experienced world; and that imagistic simulation provides the thought-experimenter with a quasi-perceptual analogue to direct perception through which they acquire novel empirical knowledge. Case methodology was adopted, the case being a pair of final year A-level physics students. Data was collected through non-participant observation over two sessions of collaborative problem-solving. The tasks drew upon Newtonian mechanics. A certain type of thought-experimental reasoning prevailed in the observation protocol. These thought experiments do not aim to induce unexpected results but to make intuitions about a situation experiencable in a concrete (imaginary) scenario. I interpret thought experiments of this type as a mental analogue to inductive discovery through physical experiment. A critical question for future research is whether all thought-experimental reasoning in general emulates physical experimentation, as the answer will potentially provide insights for exploring thought experimenting as an educable skill. [Appended are: (1) Paradigmatic Cases of TES; (2) The Tasks; (3) Transcripts; and (4) Letter Requesting Access. Thesis Presented for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Educational Research.]
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A