Mind Mapping

Origin. Popularized by Buzan; the underlying structure is a rooted tree with radial layout.

Mechanism. Externalizes associative structure so that working-memory limits stop truncating the search. The spatial layout makes sibling branches visible simultaneously, which surfaces asymmetries in depth.

Procedure. Central node. Primary branches for major dimensions. Recurse. Then read the map for imbalance: a branch with one child is either exhausted or unexplored, and the distinction matters.

Applies to. Scoping; noticing what a topic contains before deciding what it means.

Limitations. Trees cannot represent cross-links, and most real problem structures are graphs. The technique silently forces the hardest relations out of the representation.