| Causal maps represent cognition as a system of cause-effect relations for the purpose
of capturing the structure of human cognition from texts, either archival or interview
generated. Given the structure of causal maps, they can be represented pictorially, or
as matrices. Once these cognitive structures have been represented, they can be
examined for patterns, theory building or hypothesis testing. As you will see, the tool
is versatile and can be used for policy making, exploratory, theoretical, and large scale
empirical works.
Ever since Axelrod developed causal mapping as a tool for policy research its use has
been increasing in frequency for research in various disciplines. IS researchers are just
now discovering the power of causal mapping as a research tool, and its importance in
knowledge management. Given the newness of the tool to the area, most researchers
use other disciplines to learn about causal mapping, thus having to adapt the method
for use in IT contexts.
The mission of the book is to bring together in a single volume both the necessary
knowledge for using causal maps, recent advances yet to reach the professional IT
community, and IS research works in progress employing causal mapping as a tool.
Thus the primary mission of the book is to provide an authoritative source - a one stop
learning place, if you will - for researchers interested in using causal mapping as a
research or policy tool. |
