MENTAL MODEL · M9345

General Morphological Analysis

SystemsHigh supportSystems Theory

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Updated 2026-08-15

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

General morphological analysis was developed by the astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky for structuring and exploring problem spaces that cannot be quantified. The problem is decomposed into a set of mutually independent parameters, each with a range of possible values, and the cross-product of these values forms a morphological box. The core proposition is that systematically enumerating combinations surfaces configurations that intuition never reaches, because people habitually explore only familiar regions of the space. The key qualification is combinatorial explosion: with many dimensions and values the box becomes unmanageable, so consistency checks and pruning must precede full enumeration.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Fix The Dimensions: list the independent parameters that actually define the problem before generating options. - Enumerate Values: write every plausible setting for each dimension rather than only the conventional ones. - Prune By Consistency: cross out combinations that violate hard constraints, then examine the survivors.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Intuition explores a narrow, well-worn region of the option space, so whole categories of solution stay invisible. Making dimensions and values explicit converts the space into a grid whose cells can be visited one by one. Because the grid is external, biases toward familiar combinations lose their grip, and the systematic pass reliably turns up viable cells that no participant had proposed.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

List the dimensions that define the problem and confirm they are independent. 2. Write every plausible value for each dimension in a table. 3. Cross out combinations that violate physical or logical constraints. 4. Examine the surviving combinations and note the ones nobody proposed. 5. Test the most promising few against real criteria.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

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Source support: Explicit

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en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphological_analysis_(problem-solvingZH · Explicit
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