Analyzing the Behavior of Modelers in Interpreting Relationships in Conceptual Models: An Empirical Study

This paper presents an experiment analyzing the behavior of modelers in interpreting conceptual model fragments developed using an OntologyDriven Conceptual Modeling Language (OntoUML). Our goal is to evaluate the effect of two ontological constructs (relator and role) in modeling relationships. Our hypotheses are: (i) the use of these constructs for modeling relations increases the clarity of the models; (ii) as a consequence, this increases the performance of modelers in interpreting these models. The behavior of the modelers is evaluated considering the participants ́ answers to predetermined questions asked about two model fragments (compared with a template response). We also consider the rationale underlying the answers given by the participants. We have collected indications that both the role and the relator constructs influence positively in the quality of the resulting interpretations.