Epistemic complexity

Draft

Definitions

The term epistemic complexity is used in several contexts. In various learning science, epistemic complexity often refers to the cognitive challenge of a task, in particular in constructivist whole task settings such as inquiry-based learning. (e.g. Lakkala, 2010). It is also used to describe the complexity of student productions.

• In Biology, “Biological evolution is a progressing process of knowledge acquisition (cognition) and, correspondingly, of growth of complexity. The acquired knowledge represents epistemic complexity.” (Kováč, 2007). Bailly and Longo (2003) provide a similar definition: {{quotation|“By this notion we mean the global functions of a system, the external description of it as given by the knowing subject (thus "epistemic").”.

• In computer science and artificial intelligence, epistemic complexity could be defined in terms of the “complexity of the decision problem for epistemic logics” (Vardi, 1989) or computational incompressibility (Kolmogorov-Chaitin)

• In systems theory, “Rescher (1998) distinguished three 'modes', namely epistemic, ontological and functional complexity. Among these modes of complexity, the epistemic embraces three categories: descriptive, generative and computational complexity” (Schlindwein et al., 2004).

• In constructivism, epistemic complexity could be related to epistemic fluency, i.e. be able to communicate across epistemic divides using different epistemic games. (Morrison and Collins, 2996). In a similar way, Bing and Redish (2011) argue that: “First, experts have larger and better-organized banks of knowledge. Second, experts are better in-the-moment navigators during the problem solving process”. In-the-moment navigation happens between various epistemological framings such as warrants, epistemological resources, and epistemological framing.

See also: Creativity

Links

• Measures of epistemic complexity and knowledge construction. The "genealogical" unfolding of the teleological and intentional roots of thought processes at the level of cultural evolution. (Italien research project led by Arturo Carsetti)

Bibliography

• Bailly, Francis and Giuseppe Longo, (2003). Objective and Epistemic complexity in Biology, Invited lecture, International Conference on Theoretical Neurobiology, National Brain Research Centre, New Delhi, INDIA, February 2003. PDF

• Bing, Thomas J. , Edward F. Redish (submitted, 2011). Epistemic Complexity and the Journeyman-Expert Transition, Physics Education arXiv:1103.3325v1

• Carsetti, A., “Epistemic Complexity and Knowledge Construction”.

• Chinn, C. A., & Malhotra, B. A. (2002). Epistemologically authentic reasoning in schools: A theoretical framework for evaluating inquiry tasks. Science Education, 86, 175–218.

• Kováč, Ladislav (2007). Information and Knowledge in Biology, Time for Reappraisal, Plant Signal Behavior 2(2): 65–73. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19516970

• Kováč L. Fundamental principles of cognitive biology. Evolution and Cognition. 2000;6:51–69.

• Giovanni B. Moneta (1993), A model of scientists’ creative potential: The matching of cognitive structure and domain structure, Philosophical Psychology Volume 6, Issue 1. DOI 10.1080/09515089308573075

• Kolmogorov, N., (1968) "Logical Basis for Information Theory and Probability Theory",IEEE Trans.IT 14,5,pp.662-4.

• Lakkala, Minna (2010). How to design educational settings to promote collaborative inquiry: Pedagogical infrastructures for technology-enhanced progressive inquiry, Dissertation, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. PDF

• Morrison, D. and Allan Collins (1996), Epistemic Fluency and Constructivist Learning Environments, in Brent Gayle Wilson (ed.) Constructivist learning environments: case studies in instructional design, out of print. Google books

• Schlindwein, Sandro Luis and Ison, Ray (2004). Human knowing and perceived complexity: implications for systems practice. Emergence: Complexity and Organization, 6(3), pp. 27–32. http://oro.open.ac.uk/58/

• Rescher, N. (1998). Complexity A Philosophical Overview, New Brunswick: Transaction publishers.

• Vardi, M.Y. (1989). On the complexity of epistemic reasoning, Fourth Annual Symposium on Logic in Computer Science, 1989. LICS '89, Proceedings, 243-252.