Abstract

In this study I aim to develop a cognitive evaluation of how semantically-driven and rule-based diagrammatic reasoning were psychologically plausible for partic-ular cases of scientific practice: an actual trackless path reconstruction in bubble chamber experiments, as reported by Galison (1997). I will propose “cognitive imagery projection and manipulation” (CIPM) as the most plausible psychologi-cal (perceptual/attentional/cognitive) mechanism matching the specific explanatory requirements for the case study, outlining the most significant current theories about this mental phenomenon (Shimojima; 2011).