Mind map

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the visual diagram. For the geographical concept, see Mental mapping.

Hand-drawn and computer-drawn variations of a mind map.

A mind map is a diagram used to visually organize information. A mind map is hierarchical and
shows relationships among pieces of the whole. [1] It is often created around a single concept, drawn
as an image in the center of a blank page, to which associated representations of ideas such as
images, words and parts of words are added. Major ideas are connected directly to the central
concept, and other ideas branch out from those.
Mind maps can be drawn by hand, either as "rough notes" during a lecture, meeting or planning
session, for example, or as higher quality pictures when more time is available. Mind maps are
considered to be a type of spider diagram.[2] A similar concept in the 1970s was "idea sun bursting".[3]
Contents
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1Origins

2Popularisation of the term "mind map"

3Mind map guidelines

4Uses

5Differences from other visualizations

6Research

7Tools

8See also

9References

10Further reading

11External links

Origins[edit]
Although the term "mind map" was first popularized by British popular psychology author and
television personality Tony Buzan, the use of diagrams that visually "map" information using
branching and radial maps traces back centuries. These pictorial methods record knowledge and
model systems, and have a long history in learning, brainstorming, memory,visual thinking,
and problem solving by educators, engineers, psychologists, and others. Some of the earliest
examples of such graphical records were developed by Porphyry of Tyros, a noted thinker of the 3rd
century, as he graphically visualized the concept categories of Aristotle. Philosopher Ramon
Llull (12351315) also used such techniques.
The semantic network was developed in the late 1950s as a theory to understand human learning
and developed further by Allan M. Collins and M. Ross Quillian during the early 1960s. Mind maps
are similar in radial structure to concept maps, developed by learning experts in the 1970s, but differ
in that the former are simplified by focusing around a single central key concept.

Popularisation of the term "mind map"[edit]

Buzan's specific approach, and the introduction of the term "mind map" arose during a 1974 BBC TV
series he hosted, called Use Your Head.[4][5] In this show, and companion book series, Buzan
promoted his conception of radial tree, diagramming key words in a colorful, radiant, tree-like
structure.[6]
Buzan says the idea was inspired by Alfred Korzybski's general semantics as popularized in science
fiction novels, such as those of Robert A. Heinlein and A. E. van Vogt. He argues that while
"traditional" outlines force readers to scan left to right and top to bottom, readers actually tend to
scan the entire page in a non-linear fashion. Buzan's treatment also uses then-popular assumptions
about the functions of cerebral hemispheres in order to explain the claimed increased effectiveness
of mind mapping over other forms of note making.

Mind map guidelines[edit]

Buzan suggests the following guidelines for creating mind maps:

1. Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.
3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
4. Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
5. The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The lines become thinner as
they radiate out from the center.
6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.
7. Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also for encoding or
grouping.
8. Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.
9. Use emphasis and show associations in your mind map.
10.Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy or outlines to embrace your branches.

Uses[edit]

Rough mindmap notes taken during a course session

As with other diagramming tools, mind maps can be used to generate, visualize, structure,
and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying[7]and organizing information, solving problems, making
decisions, and writing.
Mind maps have many applications in personal, family, educational, and business situations,
including notetaking, brainstorming (wherein ideas are inserted into the map radially around the
center node, without the implicit prioritization that comes from hierarchy or sequential arrangements,

and wherein grouping and organizing is reserved for later stages), summarizing, as a mnemonic
technique, or to sort out a complicated idea. Mind maps are also promoted as a way to collaborate in
color pen creativity sessions.
In addition to these direct use cases, data retrieved from mind maps can be used to enhance several
other applications; for instanceexpert search systems, search engines and search and tag query
recommender.[8] To do so, mind maps can be analysed with classic methods of information
retrieval to classify a mind map's author or documents that are linked from within the mind map. [8]

Differences from other visualizations[edit]

Concept maps - Mind maps differ from concept maps in that mind maps focus on only one
word or idea, whereas concept maps connect multiple words or ideas. Also, concept maps
typically have text labels on their connecting lines/arms. Mind maps are based on radial
hierarchies and tree structures denoting relationships with a central governing concept, whereas
concept maps are based on connections between concepts in more diverse patterns. However,
either can be part of a larger personal knowledge base system.

Modelling graphs - There is no rigorous right or wrong with mind maps, relying on the
arbitrariness of mnemonic systems. A UML diagram or a semantic network has structured
elements modelling relationships, with lines connecting objects to indicate relationship. This is
generally done in black and white with a clear and agreed iconography. Mind maps serve a
different purpose: they help with memory and organization. Mind maps are collections of words
structured by the mental context of the author with visual mnemonics, and, through the use of
colour, icons and visual links, are informal and necessary to the proper functioning of the mind
map.

Research[edit]
Effectiveness - Cunningham (2005) conducted a user study in which 80% of the students thought
"mindmapping helped them understand concepts and ideas in science". [9]Other studies also report
positive effects through the use of mind maps.[10][11] Farrand, Hussain, and Hennessy (2002) found
that spider diagrams (similar to concept maps) had limited, but significant, impact on memory recall
in undergraduate students (a 10% increase over baseline for a 600-word text only) as compared to
preferred study methods (a 6% increase over baseline). [12] This improvement was only robust after a
week for those in the diagram group and there was a significant decrease in motivation compared to
the subjects' preferred methods of note taking. A meta study about concept mapping concluded that
concept mapping is more effective than "reading text passages, attending lectures, and participating
in class discussions".[13] The same study also concluded that concept mapping is slightly more
effective "than other constructive activities such as writing summaries and outlines". In addition, they
concluded that low-ability students may benefit more from mind mapping than high-ability students.
Features of Mind Maps - Beel & Langer (2011) conducted a comprehensive analysis of the content
of mind maps.[14] They analysed 19,379 mind maps from 11,179 users of the mind mapping
applications SciPlore MindMapping (now Docear) and MindMeister. Results include that average
users create only a few mind maps (mean=2.7), average mind maps are rather small (31 nodes) with
each node containing about 3 words (median). However, there were exceptions. One user created
more than 200 mind maps, the largest mind map consisted of more than 50,000 nodes and the
largest node contained ~7500 words. The study also showed that between different mind mapping
applications (Docearvs MindMeister) significant differences exist related to how users create mind
maps.

Automatic Creating of Mind Maps - There have been some attempts to create mind maps
automatically. Brucks & Schommer created mind maps automatically from full-text streams.
[15]
Rothenberger et al. extracted the main story of a text and presented it as mind map. [16] And there is
a patent about automatically creating sub-topics in mind maps.[17]
Pen and Paper vs Computer - There are two studies that analyze whether electronic mind mapping
or pen based mind mapping is more effective.[18][19]

Tools[edit]
Mind-mapping software can be used to organize large amounts of information, combining spatial
organization, dynamic hierarchical structuring and node folding. Software packages can extend the
concept of mind-mapping by allowing individuals to map more than thoughts and ideas with
information on their computers and the Internet, like spreadsheets, documents, Internet sites and
images.[20] It has been suggested that mind-mapping can improve learning/study efficiency up to 15%
over conventional note-taking.[21]

ses
Mind Maps are useful for:

Brainstorming individually, and as a group.

Summarizing information, and note taking.

Consolidating information from different research sources.

Thinking through complex problems.

Presenting information in a format that shows the overall

structure of your subject.
Studying and memorizing information.

Drawing Basic Mind Maps

To draw a Mind Map, follow these steps:
1. Write the title of the subject you're exploring in the center of the page, and
draw a circle around it. This is shown by the circle marked in figure 1, below.
(Our simple example shows someone brainstorming actions needed to deliver
a successful presentation.)

Figure 1

2. As you come across major subdivisions or subheadings of the topic (or

important facts that relate to the subject) draw lines out from this circle. Label
these lines with these subdivisions or subheadings. (See figure 2, below.)

Figure 2

3. As you "burrow" into the subject and uncover another level of information
(further subheadings, or individual facts) belonging to the subheadings, draw
these as lines linked to the subheading lines. These are shown in figure 3.

Figure 3

4. Then, for individual facts or ideas, draw lines out from the appropriate
heading line and label them. These are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4