Model selection in the field

Some examples of this in introductory physics education are discussed in the reference below, which incidentally also discusses the analog (as distinct from digital) roots in thermal physics of the surprisal-minimization strategy itself.

In addition to long term applications for improving concept-selection in media-communications generally, a practical and transparent and objective strategy for evolving concept-selection in education is perhaps of most importance, at least in places where the citizenry are blessed with access to public education. Ways to implement the challenge of minimizing surprise at incoming data (thereby reducing complexity and improving fit at the same time) via the educational approaches used are therefore of special importance. 

This section of the website is set up to explore the possiblity that the tabulation of surprises might help bring the discussion of competing idea-sets generally into closer contact with the observations that inspired them. The subpages listed at the bottom of this page (and perhaps in the panel at left) might provide some insight into the scope of such possibilities. 

The problem of evolving idea-sets is important in technical fields, in education, and in the development and refinement of institutional culture on all levels. For instance, the task of content-modernization in physics education research might be inspired by this objective.This section may be a good place to link to notes on such strategies across disciplines.

Of course, not all problems reduce to mathematics. Can the vernacular concept of surprise similarly capture the effectiveness of scientific idea-sets to predict and describe new observations? 

Related references: