A Model of Molecular Visualization

We argue that molecular visualization is a process that includes constructing a mental model. Current qualitative research has shown that participants working on a mental molecular visualization/rotation task invoke components of a mental model. Four of the components are static representations: referents, relations, results, and rules/syntax. The fifth component is dynamic: operation. Two examples of operation are visualization and rotation. Participants used the constructed mental models as mental tools to complete the task. This conceptualization of mental model construction constitutes a theory of learning.