Cognitive task analysis (CTA) is often used to study how people make decisions in their unstructured, dynamic, real-time environments. Sallie Gordon-Becker, working with colleagues, developed a formal approach to CTA called Conceptual Graph Structures (CGS) (Gordon & Gill, 1992; Gordon, Schmierer, & Gill, 1993). CGSs are semantic networks with specific syntax (concept maps don't have a syntax). CGSs are comprised of nodes, connected by arcs only in certain "legal" ways. A CGS can be developed for:

• document analysis
• analysis of structured and unstructured interviews
• analysis of postperformance review of recordings of multiple experts performing a variety of task scenarios

There are six kinds of nodes. Think of the nodes as nouns and the arcs as the verbs. The nodes can be simple concepts, but can also be other places and ways of being in space-time and mental space, such as goals, actions, events, states and styles. There are 18 types of arcs, each with a specific meaning.

Use the reference charts below to understand how nodes and arcs are defined, and how to "legally" combine arcs and nodes. (These are also available from the Attachments section at the bottom of this page.)

Learning the CGS grammar does take some learning and time to develop proficiency. However, the process has been made a little easier with the Viso tools developed by Wiebe, Confer & Rice (2007), which automate the selection of legal arc-node combinations.

Finally, look at an example Conceptual Graph Structure. You can see more example CGSs in the Attachments section at the bottom of this page.