Evolution analysis of cross-domain collaborative research topic: a case study of cognitive-based product conceptual design

Knowledge absorption and integration between research domains can generate new concepts and ideas, and cross-domain research cooperation has become an effective way to promote innovation. Observing and discovering the patterns and trends in the development of cross-domain collaborative research topics is an important area of research for promoting the innovative development of disciplines. In this paper, we propose an evolution analysis method for cross-domain collaborative research topics, which first employs LDA and Word2vec models to extract topics from the domain corpus, and proposes a cross-domain topic evolution model (CDTEM) based on cross-time and cross-domain topic associations. Based on CDTEM, combined with the evolution analysis strategy of forward extrapolation and backward tracking, the method realizes the evolution analysis of cross-domain topics (CDTs) and generates a synergistic evolution vein of CDTs. Finally, we combine the integration and evolution of research topics in conceptual design (CD) and design cognition (DC) to perform validation analysis. The methodology of this paper provides a new perspective for studying interdisciplinary topic convergence trends based on collaborative goal-oriented research, which can help scholars capture the convergence and development trends of cross-domain collaborative research topics over the years and explore dynamic CDTs to effectively support interdisciplinary scientific exchange. At the same time, the case study part of this paper provides scholars conducting research in cognition-based product design with a scientific analysis of the integration and development of research topics.