Cognitive maps: towards a holistic conceptual model

Due to the lack of an integral study about Cognitive Maps that focus on the causal phenomenon, this work introduces the underlying concepts towards a Holistic Conceptual Model, enhanced by a profile of several versions. We illustrate this by their application to Web-based Education Systems. From the causal perspective, Cognitive Maps depict and simulate the systems dynamics based upon qualitative knowledge about a specific domain. A Cognitive Map is a visual digraph that identifies the concepts of the subject of analysis. Cognitive Maps show the causal-effect relationships among the concepts, and outline complex structures. This tool aims to predict the evolution of a model through causal inference that estimates the degree of significance of change of the concepts in the context of the whole system. The behavior of a Cognitive Map is carried out along iterations that update the variation of the concept values until reach a fixed point, a pattern of states or a chaotic region in the search space. The purpose of this research is to share its findings, depict the work done until now and promote the use of Cognitive Maps in a broad spectrum of domains.