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Increasing the capacity of conceptual diagrams to embrace contextual complexity

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Abstract

Conceptual models or diagrams have been used for many years to visually convey information, and they represent a subset of graphic presentation more generally. Historically, they have been used to describe, interpret and explain relationships among concepts deemed relevant to the understanding of some phenomena. This paper makes specific recommendations for increasing the capacity of models to clearly convey a particular form of complexity, that involving multiple contexts or levels of analysis. In particular, the inclusion of negotiated or constructed contexts as contexts, the use of small multiples to create a dialog with orienting models around specification decisions, and the representation of alternate scenarios are recommended.

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Correspondence to David W. Britt.

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Britt, D.W., Chen, YC. Increasing the capacity of conceptual diagrams to embrace contextual complexity. Qual Quant 47, 567–576 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9479-0

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