Abstract Reasoning in Collaborative Modeling

This paper reports on a case study of abstract reasoning in a real collaborative modeling setting. The study was conducted according to the behavioral observation principles of human ethology. Our findings indicate a relation between an individual's executive functioning and his ability to do abstract reasoning. Furthermore, we find individual differences in these abilities, and our results suggest that lack of certain skills pushes a session back to its initial phase until a shared conception of what is being modeled is achieved. These findings further our understanding of the process of collaborative modeling, how the qualities and behaviors of an individual modeler influence the interactive modeling process and its final outcomes.