- also known as idea mapping, association maps
"…allows students to imagine and explore associations between concepts"
- "…has been defined as 'visual, non-linear representations of ideas and their relationships'"
- a network of connected and related concepts; any idea can be connected to another 
- free-form, spontaneous thinking is required 
- the aim: to find creative associations between ideas 

Mind Mapping 

- "… allows students to understand the relationships between concepts and hence understand those concepts themselves and the domain to which they belong"
- often confused with mind mapping 
    - concept maps are more structured and typically do not incorporate pictures 
- aim: outline relationships between ideas 
- a relational device 
- widely used in academic disciplines such as accounting, finance, engineering, statistics, reading comprehension, biology, nursing, medicine, and veterinary science

Concept Mapping

- Concept mapping, mind mapping, and argument mapping are often used interchangeably 
- There are distinguishable differences between these three mapping tools, as well as advantages and disadvantages of each 

Syracuse University

This study clarifies the differences between the terms concept mapping, mind mapping, and argument mapping. 

Concept mapping, mind mapping and argument mapping: what are the differences and do they matter?

Davies, M. (2011). Concept mapping, mind mapping and argument mapping: what are the differences and do they matter?. Higher education, 62(3), 279-301.

Differentiating between Concept, Mind, and Argument Mapping

- Many software packages have been developed in the past 5-10 years that allow users to easily create visual displays of information, concepts, and relations between ideas 
- Knowledge visualization, however, is not a new idea 
     - Flow charts were developed in 1972
     - Pie charts and other visual formats go back even earlier 
     - "...Formal ways of 'mapping' complex information... began at least 30 years 
         ago, and arguably even earlier" 

The Origin of Knowledge Visualization

- Students are more likely to understand, remember, and analyze the relationships between concepts if they can represent or manipulate them 
- Creating these visualizations promotes deep rather than surface approaches to learning 
- Maps are easier to follow for most people than verbal or written descriptions 
- The process of creating maps requires more active engagement and leads to greater learning 

The Purpose and Justification for Mapping Tools 

- allows meaningful learning to occur
- allows the presentation of new material to build on existing knowledge
- makes new information more usable 
- increases the brain's ability to understand, retrieve, and process information 
   - complementation: complements what the brain can already do
- allows students to build new and meaningful knowledge links by  active engagement 

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