What is mental model formation?

Example: A software architect realizes she builds new mental models by first collecting concrete examples, then noticing what they share, then naming the pattern. Her colleague does it differently — he starts with a theoretical framework from a book, then tests it against cases. Neither process is wrong, but neither has been examined. Once they see their own schema creation processes, they can borrow from each other's strengths and compensate for their own blind spots.

This concept is part of Meta-Schemas in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for meta-schemas.