Authors: Binny M. Samuel, Roman Lukyanenko
Tags: 2016, cognition, conceptual modeling, database design, information systems analysis and design
Conceptual modeling specifies the kinds of objects to be represented in an information system (IS). Conceptual models typically represent classes (categories, kinds) of objects rather than concrete specific individuals. While representation of classes may differ between grammars, a common design principle (DP) is what we term different semantics same syntax (D3S). Under this DP all classes are depicted using the same syntactic symbols. Following recent findings in psychology, we introduce a novel DP – semantics-contingent syntax (SCS) whereby syntactic representations of classes in conceptual models may differ based on their meaning. We believe, SCS carries profound implications for theory and practice of conceptual modeling that we hope to explore in future work.
Cite as:
Lukyanenko R. and Samuel B. (2016). “Are all classes created equal? Exploring semantics-contingent syntax in conceptual modeling,” in AIS SIGSAND, Lubbock, TX, United States, May 12-14, 2016.
