When people talk about abstract topics, they often use linguistic images. Such metaphors make complex content easier to understand and provide clues as to how a topic is perceived. The next Public Talk of the Transregio "Constructing Explainability" (TRR 318) on Wednesday, 26 February, will focus on metaphors for explaining. Prof Dr Ingrid Scharlau heads the "Cognitive Psychology and Psychology Didactics" group at Paderborn University and will explain in the online talk what needs to be considered when using metaphors in explanations and which metaphors correspond to the TRR 318's understanding of explaining. In TRR 318, researchers from Paderborn University and Bielefeld University are working together on an interdisciplinary basis to investigate the principles, mechanisms and social practices of explanation. The findings are to be taken into account in the design of AI systems and contribute to making AI understandable. The lecture will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. via Zoom.
From pair dancing to puzzles: metaphors for explaining
Every word that is not used in its literal meaning is a metaphor. "Metaphors are not just particularly striking or beautiful linguistic images. Metaphors are everywhere," explains Ingrid Scharlau. "They show how we think about something and influence our attitude towards it." As head of project C04 "Metaphors as a means of explanation" in TRR 318, she investigates how metaphors emphasise certain aspects and hide others. Although this can help to make a topic easier to understand, it also harbours risks - for example, when metaphors lead to one-sided views, as in the discourse on climate change. Using metaphors more consciously sharpens our understanding of how people think about issues and what values and norms they adopt.
In her lecture, Ingrid Scharlau uses concrete examples to show how metaphors shape our communication. She then presents various metaphors for explaining and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. What does the couple dance emphasise as a metaphor for explaining? What challenges does it pose? And how do images such as constructing or puzzling fit in? "The choice of metaphor influences how we understand explanations and therefore presumably also which approaches we pursue in the development of AI systems," says Ingrid Scharlau.
This text was translated automatically.
