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11 - Dynamic modelling of cognitive development: time, situatedness and variability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

By
Paul Van Geert
Edited by
Andreas Demetriou  and
Athanassios Raftopoulos
Paul Van Geert
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Andreas Demetriou
Affiliation:
University of Cyprus
Athanassios Raftopoulos
Affiliation:
University of Cyprus
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Summary

Modelling and the representation of phenomena

In her book Life with Picasso, Françoise Gilot recalls a discussion about the portrait that Picasso painted of Gertrude Stein in 1906 (Gilot and Lake 1964). Many people first found that the portrait was not a very good likeness. Later, however, many began to think that, over the course of the years, Gertrude Stein had come to resemble the portrait. Picasso had predicted that although the portrait was not a very good likeness, Stein herself would become a good likeness of the portrait.

Gertrude Stein's portrait reminds us of a basic feature of what a model should be, namely the representation of what the modeller sees as the essence of the modelled phenomenon (Casti 1997). However, it also reminds us of the fact that resemblance runs both ways. If the model is powerful enough, it will come to dictate what the essence of the modelled phenomenon should be.

A model leaves out those aspects that are not considered essential or important and it exaggerates or idealizes what it considers characteristic. In that sense, what a model does not show, what it considers not characteristic, is about as interesting as what the model does show. The dictum that what must be left out of representation is more fundamental than what is actually displayed is probably more characteristic of traditional Japanese than of Western art, but it is nevertheless applicable to all forms of art, including the art of modelling.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cognitive Developmental Change
Theories, Models and Measurement
 , pp. 354 - 378
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

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