I think I'll throw my hat in this ring.
To me, mental models enable us to see some things and prevent us from
seeing others (see Khun's Scientific Revolution). Mental models determine
how we interpret data. Our assumptions usually come from our mental
models.
For example, I greet a colleague and she fails to acknowledge my greeting.
My mental model of the people I work with will determine how I interpret
this. If my mental model is that the people I work with are rude, my
assumption will likely be that she is ignoring me.
If my mental model is that the people I work with are busy, my assumption
will likely be that she is preoccupied and never even heard my greeting.
So assumptions can be used to uncover mental models by working backwards.
Take the assumptions and work back to the mental models that created them.
This is helpful because while most of us are not aware of our mental
models, our assumptions easier to identify.
I hope this is both plain and helpful.
Hal Steinbeigle
--Hal H Steinbeigle <Hal_H_Steinbeigle@ccm.rr.intel.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>