The Mediating Role of Artefacts in Deductive Reasoning

We present the results of an experiment designed to investigate the mediating role of artefacts in syllogistic reasoning. The aim of the experiment is to compare a new form of representation of the premises, designed according to the Models Theory, with two “classical” representations (Euler circles and Propositions). The results provide preliminary empirical evidence for both hypothesis of the experiment: • the representation designed according to the principles of mental Models Theory supports the activity of subjects performing a syllogistic reasoning task better than the two “classical” representations; • subjects’ performance depends also on the specific syllogism to be solved. Each form of representation offers specific constraints and affordances for the production of the mental models that need to be manipulated to produce an answer.