Knowing and Learning to Design 1 Dissociation of Design Knowledge

It is often noted that successful designing requires two types of knowledge: explicit, articulate, domain-specific knowledge, and inarticulate, domain-independent, procedural knowledge. Neuropsychological evidence is provided for a dissociation between the two types of knowledge. This reinforces the reality of the distinction. It is further suggested that the inarticulate, procedural knowledge is not knowledge in the traditional sense of the word, but consists of mechanisms to support "illstructured" representations and computations. This implies that learning environments – like the design studio – that provide students with practice in groping and coping with ill-structured, real-world design problems must be an integral part of design education. Let him be educated, skillful with pencil, instructed in geometry, know much history, have followed the philosophers with attention, understand music, have some knowledge of medicine, know the opinions of the jurists, and be acquainted with astronomy and the theory of the heavens. -Vitruvius (on the education of the architect) quoted in Broadbent (1973, p. 4)