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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Understanding Controversies And Ill-Structured Problems Through Argument Visualization. Curriculum And Learning Materials For Problem-Based Learning In Small Groups Of Students Who Work Autonomously On Projects With The Interactive Agora Software, Including An Exemplary Reader On Genetically Modified Plants, Michael H.G. Hoffmann Dec 2011

Understanding Controversies And Ill-Structured Problems Through Argument Visualization. Curriculum And Learning Materials For Problem-Based Learning In Small Groups Of Students Who Work Autonomously On Projects With The Interactive Agora Software, Including An Exemplary Reader On Genetically Modified Plants, Michael H.G. Hoffmann

Michael H.G. Hoffmann

No abstract provided.


Powerful Arguments: Logical Argument Mapping, Michael H.G. Hoffmann Jan 2011

Powerful Arguments: Logical Argument Mapping, Michael H.G. Hoffmann

Michael H.G. Hoffmann

This paper argues that deductive arguments are "powerful" when the goal is to stimulate reflection on one's own reasoning. Powerful arguments are defined as arguments that leave only one choice for a potential opponent: either to accept the conclusion or to defeat one of its premises. In the first part, the paper presents an argument for the thesis that so defined powerful arguments are possible when we do not only provide reasons as premises of an argument, but also what is called an "enabler." An "enabler" is that premise in an argument that guarantees that the reason provided in this …


Cognitive Effects Of Argument Visualization Tools, Michael H.G. Hoffmann Jan 2011

Cognitive Effects Of Argument Visualization Tools, Michael H.G. Hoffmann

Michael H.G. Hoffmann

External representations play a crucial role in learning. At the same time, cognitive load theory suggests that the possibility of learning depends on limited resources of the working memory and on cognitive load imposed by instructional design and representation tools. Both these observations motivate a critical look at Computer-Supported Argument Visualization (CSAV) tools that are supposed to facilitate learning. This paper uses cognitive load theory to compare the cognitive efficacy of RationaleTM 2 and AGORA.


Analyzing Framing Processes In Conflicts And Communication By Means Of Logical Argument Mapping, Michael H.G. Hoffmann Jan 2011

Analyzing Framing Processes In Conflicts And Communication By Means Of Logical Argument Mapping, Michael H.G. Hoffmann

Michael H.G. Hoffmann

The primary goal of this chapter is to present a new method—called Logical Argument Mapping (LAM)—for the analysis of framing processes as they occur in any communication, but especially in conflicts. I start with a distinction between boundary setting, meaning construction, and sensemaking as three forms or aspects of framing, and argue that crucial for the resolution of frame-based controversies is our ability to deal with those “webs” of mutually supporting beliefs that determine sensemaking processes. Since any analysis of framing in conflicts and communication is itself influenced by sensemaking—there is no “frame-neutrality”—the main problem for an analyst is to …