text: Causal loop diagrams – displaying tendency and a direction of information connections and the resulting causality and feedback loops
  System structure diagrams – another way to express the structure of a qualitative dynamic system
  Stock and flow diagrams - a way to quantify the structure of a dynamic system
  These methods allow showing a mental model of a dynamic system, as an explicit, written model about a certain system based on internal beliefs. Analyzing these graphical representations has been an increasing area of research across many social science fields. Additionally software tools that attempt to capture and analyze the structural and functional properties of individual mental models such as Mental Modeler, "a participatory modeling tool based in fuzzy-logic cognitive mapping", have recently been developed and used to collect/compare/combine mental model representations collected from individuals for use in social science research, collaborative decision-making, and natural resource planning.
  Mental model in relation to system dynamics and systemic thinking
  In the simplification of reality, creating a model can find a sense of reality, seeking to overcome systemic thinking and system dynamics.
  These two disciplines can help to construct a better coordination with the reality of mental models and simulate it accurately. They increase the probability that the consequences of how to decide and act in accordance with how to plan.