Using social network analysis as a tool to create and compare mental models

Sammanfattning: The field of social network analysis has expanded from the field of social science to the fields of human factors and ergonomics. There is a theory that suggest that one can use the social network methods and create an information network which describes the network from an information sharing perspective and and there are also theories which describes how social network analysis can be used study cognitive maps (mental models). This thesis touches both of these subjects in an attempt to investigate how social network analysis can be used together with real-time information as a data source to investigate the cognitive maps of individuals and comparing these maps with an organisations expected structure based on protocols. The study conducted showed that it was indeed possible to change the social network analysis method into an information based network which explains the origin of a mental model and to study information be- haviour, in a network, but there are still variables which needs to be studied further (e.g. failed information sharing and temporal aspects of information sharing).