Abstract:

Studying people\'s thinking, particularly when both \"cognitive\" and \"affective\" aspects are of interest, requires a setting conducive to in-depth exploration of the participants\' dialogue and actions. This need has implications for the duration of the study and for the nature of the environment in which the inquiry is conducted. The researcher must be able to spend a good deal of time with the participants, encourage or design problem scenarios that will tend to surface certain kinds of thinking, and develop a relationship with the participants that allows for the exchange of relevant information. This paper describes how these requirements were addressed in an environment in which young people learned about knots and the topological relationships they embody. The experimental design that I launched, and which the participants appropriated and modified, consisted both of knots and of a social substrate that encouraged the lively exchange of ideas about them.