Modeling of Cognitive Structure of Uncertain Scientific Concepts Using Fuzzy-Rough Sets and Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets: Example of the Life Concept

Abstract

In this study, using fuzzy-rough set and intuitionistic fuzzy set approaches, we propose a cognitive structural model for the concept of life for which a certain definition can not be made because of scientific uncertainty as well as moral, legal, and theological aspects. Total 191 first-year students from seven different high schools in a large western city in Turkey participated in the study. An open-ended conceptual understanding (CULC) test, developed by the researcher, was used for data collection. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 14 students and their biology teachers to clarify ambiguous points in students' responses to the CULC test. The results of analyses indicated that students constructed the concept of life by associating it predominantly with 'human'. Motion appeared as the most frequently associated term with the concept of life. The results suggest that the life concept has been constructed using animistic-anthropocentric cognitive schemes. In the next step, we evaluated the data obtained from the CULC test using the fuzzy-rough set and intuitionistic fuzzy set theories. Consequently, we propose an 'animistic-anthropocentric structural model' about cognitive construction of the concept of life.

Are Animals ‘More Alive’ than Plants? Animistic-Anthropocentric Construction of Life Concept

“…Starting from the fact that human and animals stand out considerably in this study, we suggest an animisticanthropocentric conceptual construction model about the life concept (Figure 1). In constructing this model we have represented the life and related concepts and sub-concepts with circles (Yorek & Narli, 2009).…”

Using Self-Organizing Neural Network Map Combined with Ward’s Clustering Algorithm for Visualization of Students’ Cognitive Structural Models about Aliveness Concept

“…According to our literature survey, it was observed that the cognitive construction of aliveness concept was closely associated with anthropocentrism and animism [ 13 – 19 , 22 , 24 , 31 , 32 , 39 , 55 ]. The results obtained from this study appeared to be consistent with the literature.…”

“…Yorek et al [ 24 ] have questioned whether there can be a distinction among living creatures due to aliveness based on “animistic-anthropocentric model” they have developed. In another study, which uses the same model, subject was evaluated with fuzzy and rough set approaches and a mathematical model was suggested [ 39 ]. We initiated this study with the question “How can we use SOMs in analyzing and visualizing cognitive structure of aliveness concept?” with the motivation of the idea of so called mathematical approach.…”

Double Successive Rough Set Approximations

“…Therefore, rough set analysis is added to the tools, which includes regression analysis and Bayes' Theorem, for pattern recognition and feature selection in data mining, see [19,36,10,37,29,5,26,28]. The resulting applications include in medical databases [32,31,30,8,9,12,13], cognitive science [16,14,25,17,35], artificial intelligence and machine learning [15,11,7,6,33,21,27] and engineering [1,2,3,24,23]. Indeed in [34], Yao noted that there is currently an imbalance in the literature between the conceptual unfolding of rough set theory and its practical computational progress.…”