Concept maps visually organize individual concepts or semantic units of a holistic idea, using a hierarchical structure and focused question. They use boxes or circles connected by arrows and can aid creativity and knowledge transfer by modeling semantic units and their associations.
A concept map is a visual resource for organizing the pieces of a general concept or idea. Alternatively, some experts describe the individual pieces of a concept map as individual concepts. These individual pieces can also be described as semantic units or units of meaning. A concept map helps organize parts of a holistic idea and display them for understanding.
Part of a standard concept map is its hierarchical structure. Some might think of this as describing or organizing a hierarchy of people, but in a concept map this typically includes a hierarchy of individual concepts. Hierarchy allows you to prioritize various elements of your concept map by placing them in strategic locations. Hierarchy may also have to do with causality, where important outcomes may take priority in the concept map as they relate to other individual outcomes or ideas.
Another feature of concept maps is a focused question. This type of thesis provides a central explanation of the purpose of the concept map and why it was created. The total content of one of these visual diagrams should lead to a resolution of the thesis through the organization of related elements.
Concept maps typically use boxes or circles connected by arrows to indicate the flow of concepts. Many of these are called branching maps when individual units branch into multiple possibilities or outcomes. While these resources look similar to other charts, such as flowcharts, maps, or thematic maps, they tend to have specific characteristics and components, where a particular style is common to many instances of this type of chart.
Many describe concept maps as useful resources to aid creativity or to develop new ideas. Because this type of chart portrays individual parts of a whole visually, it can help humans expand on an abstract idea or plan out a vague idea more comprehensively. Experts sometimes refer to concept graphs as instances of collaborative knowledge modeling or knowledge transfer assets.
In terms of language, concept maps can often model semantic units and their associations. This means that individual words or phrases have specific meanings that can vary depending on the context. For a more complex set of communications, concept maps can be useful for creating diagrams of meanings and semantic connections.
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