关于视觉空间思维对研究数学家的重要性
Hester Breman1, Renee S Hoekzema2, Mikkel Willum Johansen3
1Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University.
概括
数学家表现出强烈的视觉空间思维,在他们的研究中经常使用视觉图像. 数学思维的这种创造性方面挑战了关于学科严格性质的常见刻板印象.
科学领域:
- 认知科学 认知科学
- 数学教育教育 数学教育
- 数学心理学 数学心理学
背景情况:
- 社会观念往往将数学视为严格而正式的东西.
- 数学家们自己经常把这个学科描述为创造性和视觉.
- 了解数学中的认知过程对于教育和政策至关重要.
研究的目的:
- 调查研究数学家之间的视觉空间思维的普遍性和性质.
- 确定视觉思维的程度是否与特定的数学子学科相关.
- 探索视觉思维在数学研究的日常实践中的作用.
主要方法:
- 向232名研究数学家提供对象空间图像和口头问卷.
- 进行了开放式问题,以收集对研究中的视觉思维的定性见解.
- 使用文本挖掘来分析3,799个arXiv文章的视觉内容 ("图形环境").
主要成果:
- 与科学家,人文学科研究人员和视觉艺术家相比,数学家表现出明显更高的视觉空间思维.
- 视觉空间思维程度与数学子学科的"视觉"性质之间没有发现任何相关性.
- 三分之二的数学家报告说,他们在研究过程中使用视觉心理图像,通常用空间隐喻来描述.
结论:
- 视觉化是数学实践中不可或缺的组成部分,与人们普遍认为的相反.
- 这项研究支持这样一个观点,即数学思维涉及重要的创意和视觉元素.
- 这些发现有助于更好地理解数学认知,并告知数学教育策略.
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