Crossconceptual

Crossconceptual is a term used to describe an approach that seeks to connect concepts across different domains or disciplines to generate new insights, solve problems, or foster deeper understanding. It emphasizes translating, mapping, or blending ideas from one conceptual space into another, rather than working within a single disciplinary framework.

It involves techniques such as concept mapping, analogical reasoning, boundary-spanning collaboration, and iterative refinement of shared mental models. Practitioners may create crossconceptual frameworks that align concepts from disparate fields through common criteria, metaphors, and use-case scenarios, enabling transfer of theories, models, or methods.

Applications appear in education, design thinking, knowledge management, cognitive science, and interdisciplinary research. In education, crossconceptual tasks encourage students to compare concepts across subjects to develop transferable problem-solving skills. In industry, it supports innovation by recombining ideas in novel ways and by reframing problems.

It faces challenges such as terminology mismatch, epistemic boundaries, and the risk of superficial or forced analogies. It is related to cross-disciplinary, transdisciplinary, and interdisciplinary work, as well as conceptual blending and analogy-based reasoning.

See also cross-disciplinary, conceptual blending, analogy-based reasoning, concept mapping, transdisciplinarity.