Charbonneau Mathieu
Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Adolf Lorenz Gasse 2, A-3422 Altenberg, Austria.
Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci. 2013 Dec;44(4 Pt A):585-94. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2013.06.007. Epub 2013 Jul 30.
The use of physical models of molecular structures as research tools has been central to the development of biochemistry and molecular biology. Intriguingly, it has received little attention from scholars of science. In this paper, I argue that these physical models are not mere three-dimensional representations but that they are in fact very special research tools: they are cognitive augmentations. Despite the fact that they are external props, these models serve as cognitive tools that augment and extend the modeler's cognitive capacities and performance in molecular modeling tasks. This cognitive enhancement is obtained because of the way the modeler interacts with these models, the models' materiality contributing to the solving of the molecule's structure. Furthermore, I argue that these material models and their component parts were designed, built and used specifically to serve as cognitive facilitators and cognitive augmentations.
将分子结构的物理模型用作研究工具，一直是生物化学和分子生物学发展的核心。有趣的是，它很少受到科学学者的关注。在本文中，我认为这些物理模型并非仅仅是三维表示，实际上它们是非常特殊的研究工具：它们是认知增强手段。尽管这些模型是外部支撑物，但它们作为认知工具，在分子建模任务中增强并扩展了建模者的认知能力和表现。这种认知增强的实现，是因为建模者与这些模型的交互方式，模型的物质性有助于分子结构的求解。此外，我认为这些物质模型及其组成部分是专门设计、构建和使用的，以充当认知促进因素和认知增强手段。
