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Chapter 3: The Power of Representation. Donald A. Norman. Things that Make Us Smart. 1993.

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D. Norman CEP 916 FS96 Chap. 3 Thing Make Smart Power of Representation Page 1 Norman, Donald, Things that make us smart. Chapter 3. The Power of Representation The power of the unaided mind is highly overrated. Without external aids, memory, thought, and reasoning are all constrained. But human intelligence is highly flexible and adaptive, superb at inventing pro- cedures and objects that overcome its own limits. The real powers come from devising external aids that enhance cognitive abilities. How have we increased memory, thought, and reasoning? By the invention of external aids: It is things that make us smart. Some assistance comes through cooperative social behavior; some arises through exploitation of the information present in the environ- ment; and some comes through the development of tools of thought – cognitive artifacts – that complement abilities and strengthen mental powers. The limits of the average mind are most easily demonstrated by noting the attention paid to thos

D. NormanCEP 916 FS96Chap. 3 Thing Make SmartPower of RepresentationPage 1Norman, Donald, Things that make us smart.Chapter 3.The Power of RepresentationThe power of the unaided mind is highly overrated. Without external aids, memory, thought, andreasoning are all constrained. But human intelligence is highly flexible and adaptive, superb at inventing pro-cedures and objects that overcome its own limits. The real powers come from devising external aids thatenhance cognitive abilities. How have we increased memory, thought, and reasoning? By the invention ofexternal aids: It is things that…

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