Schema training in analogical reasoning.

In 3 experiments, college students learned how to solve 20 verbal analogy problems and took transfer and memory tests. Ss learned from worked-out examples that emphasized relational terms such as "part-to-whole" or under 3 other instructional conditions that required responding to examples or that excluded mention of relational terms. The former Ss were more accurate and faster then other Ss on solving new problems involving the same relations but less accurate in recognizing words from previous problems. This pattern is inconsistent with active responding theory, which predicts students learn best by generating answers and receiving feedback to problems, and is consistent with active learning theory, which predicts that students learn best by inducing schemas for particular problem types. Results indicate that schema induction is maximized when the schemas are made salient and the cognitive system is not overloaded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of analogical reasoning in the induction of problem categories.

In 3 experiments, novices were required to answer questions while reading a series of problems. The questions required them either to analyze individual problem structures (intraproblem processing) or compare problem structures (analogical comparison processing) to derive answers. Ss who engaged in problem comparison processing were found to categorize and describe problems on the basis of problem structure, whereas those who engaged in intraproblem processing, or simply read the problems, categorized and described them on the basis of surface features. Analogical comparisons also facilitated selection and construction of equations relative to intraproblem processing. These results suggest that analogical comparison is an important component in the induction of problem categories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of anxiety on analogical reasoning: A test of three theoretical models.

Three mediational theories of anxiety and performance, namely, J. A. Easterbrook's (see record 1961-03074-001) cue utilization theory, G. Mandler and S. B. Sarason's (see record 1953-02743-001) attentional theory, and M. W. Eysenck's (1979) working memory capacity theory, were compared for their efficacy in explaining anxiety-induced performance decrements on a task of analogical reasoning. 102 undergraduates who varied in their trait and state anxiety levels completed 100 geometric analogies under either relaxed (reassurance, non-time-limited) or stress (ego-threat, time-limited) conditions. Response time and error rate data for 9 levels of task complexity (1-, 2-, and 3-element analogies with 0, 1, or 2 transformations for each element) were analyzed by means of multivariate analysis of variance. Results in the relaxed condition support attentional theory in that more anxious Ss were both slower and less accurate than were less anxious Ss. In the stressed condition, none of the 3 anxiety-performance theories was supported. More anxious Ss were faster but made more errors than did less anxious Ss. Thus, in the stressed condition, performance differences suggested differences in speed–accuracy trade-off strategies rather than differences in processing abilities. The limitations of attentional theory and the need to study the effects of anxiety and time stress on information processing are discussed. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of representations in age differences in analogical reasoning.

Age-related declines in the efficiency of a number of cognitive tasks have been postulated to be attributable to decreases with age in the quality of internal representations used to mediate performance on those tasks. This proposal was investigated in a geometric analogies task by manipulating variables (i.e., the number of elements per term and the temporal delay between presentation of pairs of terms) assumed to affect the quality or stability of internal representations. As expected, the performance of older adults was impaired more than that of young adults by these manipulations. Further analyses revealed that these representational deficits may be due to a reduction of approximately 40% in the quantity of some type of processing resource between, approximately, 20 and 70 years of age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning and transfer: A general role for analogical encoding.

Teaching by examples and cases is widely used to promote learning, but it varies widely in its effectiveness. The authors test an adaptation to case-based learning that facilitates abstracting problem-solving schemas from examples and using them to solve further problems: analogical encoding, or learning by drawing a comparison across examples. In 3 studies, the authors examined schema abstraction and transfer among novices learning negotiation strategies. Experiment 1 showed a benefit for analogical learning relative to no case study. Experiment 2 showed a marked advantage for comparing two cases over studying the 2 cases separately. Experiment 3 showed that increasing the degree of comparison support increased the rate of transfer in a face-to-face dynamic negotiation exercise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Role of analogical reasoning in the induction of problem categories": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by D. D. Cummins (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1992[Sep], Vol 18[5], 1103–2124). On page 1111, there are labeling errors in 2 figures. In Figure 1c, problem 11 should have a "V' in the topic column; that line should read "11 V Fl.' In Figure 1d, problems 2 and 4 should have "CU' in the structure column; those lines should read "2 T CU' and "4 T CU,' respectively. Also in that figure, problems number 8 and 13 should have "Fl' in the structure column; those lines should read "8 V Fl' and "13 W Fl.' (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1993-04297-001.) In 3 experiments, novices were required to answer questions while reading a series of problems. The questions required them either to analyze individual problem structures (intraproblem processing) or compare problem structures (analogical comparison processing) to derive answers … (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of content and abstract information in analogical transfer.

Analogical transfer in problem solving is one example of analogical cognition, which also includes metaphors, similes, and case-based reasoning. The dominant theories in this area posit that abstract schemata mediate transfer (K. J. Holyoak; 1984, 1985) or that problem solving by means of analogy is accomplished through application of the formal or deep structural characteristics of one problem to another (D. Gentner; see PA, Vol 71:14564, see also 1989). More recently, exemplar-based accounts (D. L. Medin and B. H. Ross, 1989; B. H. Ross; see record 1988-03388-001) have emphasized problem content and exemplar-specific details in the various stages of transfer. The present article reviews research on analogical transfer and analyzes the theoretical models in light of this evidence. An adequate theory of analogical transfer must account not only for the use of schematic knowledge but also for the importance of surface information in all stages of transfer (L. M. Reeves and R. W. Weisberg; see record 1993-20325-001). As such, it will be a hybrid of the various models presented, with exemplar-based models such as that of B. H. Ross as a base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning.

One of the most important open questions in reasoning research is how inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning are related. In an effort to address this question, we applied methods and concepts from memory research. We used 2 experiments to examine the effects of logical validity and premise–conclusion similarity on evaluation of arguments. Experiment 1 showed 2 dissociations: For a common set of arguments, deduction judgments were more affected by validity, and induction judgments were more affected by similarity. Moreover, Experiment 2 showed that fast deduction judgments were like induction judgments—in terms of being more influenced by similarity and less influenced by validity, compared with slow deduction judgments. These novel results pose challenges for a 1-process account of reasoning and are interpreted in terms of a 2-process account of reasoning, which was implemented as a multidimensional signal detection model and applied to receiver operating characteristic data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constraints on accessing abstract source information: Instantiation of principles facilitates children's analogical transfer.

An abstract principle provided as source information alone often fails to enhance analogical transfer. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the circumstances under which an abstract statement promotes analogical problem solving in children. External instantiation (providing concrete examples, with similar or dissimilar surface features along with an abstract statement) and internal instantiation (encouraging learners to generate concrete examples of the abstract statement) were equally effective in facilitating transfer. Adding explicit causal relations in the source statements did not significantly enhance transfer. These results suggest that abstract information by itself is less accessible because it lacks superficial features similar to the target problem and lacks example-specific contextual information. Educational implications of the effects of external and internal instantiations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of a diagram retrieval cue on spontaneous analogical transfer.

Investigated the effect of a retrieval manipulation on spontaneous transfer in problem solving in 81 undergraduates. Ss read a story illustrating a problem and its solution prior to solving an analogous transfer problem in a different semantic domain. The story contained diagrams that schematically depicted the problem and solution presented in the story. A visual retrieval cue for the prior story was manipulated by including one of the story's diagrams with the transfer problem. Results indicate that the retrieval cue facilitated spontaneous transfer although additional Ss showed transfer when a hint was given by the experimenter to use the prior story to solve the problem. Similar results of spontaneous transfer and transfer obtained with a hint were obtained for Ss who received only diagrams prior to solving the transfer problem. The educational implications of retrieval manipulations in problem solving are discussed. (French abstract) (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The analogical mind.

The use of analogy in human thinking is examined from the perspective of a multiconstraint theory, which postulates 3 basic types of constraints: similarity, structure, and purpose. The operation of these constraints is apparent in laboratory experiments on analogy and in naturalistic settings, including politics, psychotherapy, and scientific research. The multiconstraint theory has been implemented in detailed computational simulations of the analogical human mind. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive load, schema acquisition, and procedural adaptation in nonisomorphic analogical transfer.

Cognitive load theory was explored in 3 conditions among 96 3rd graders in nonisomorphic transfer. In 1 condition, both goal attainment and problem-space exploration were emphasized on each acquisition trial. In a 2nd condition, problem-space exploration was emphasized, whereas goal attainment was not. In a 3rd condition, goal attainment was emphasized, but the problem-space was explored only until an error occurred on each trial. All children solved 2 analogs of the missionaries/cannibals problem and transferred to an analog of the jealous husbands problem. Children in the 2nd condition made fewer errors and required less time than the other groups on the 1st move in transfer, which is taken to reflect the quality of the base attained during acquisition. On later moves, children in Conditions 1 and 2 outperformed those in Condition 3. Thus, children in the 1st 2 conditions were better able to adjust the base to the target. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Surface similarity and relational similarity in the development of analogical problem solving: Isomorphic and nonisomorphic transfer.

Surface and relational similarity were examined in 2 experiments involving isomorphic and nonisomorphic analogical transfer. Each study included a direct-mapping condition, in which surface features of the base mapped directly to surface features in the target, and a cross-mapping condition, in which surface features of the base and target were reversed. Exp 1 involved transfer between analogs of the missionaries-cannibals (MC) problem among kindergarten, 3rd-grade, and 6th-grade children. The 3rd and 6th graders in the cross-mapping condition exhibited mappings based on relational similarity significantly more frequently than the kindergartners. Exp 2 examined performance of 4- to 6-yr-olds vs 6- to 8-yr-olds in nonisomorphic transfer between jealous husbands and MC problems. In the cross-mapping condition, most children exhibited mappings based on surface similarity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory connections between thematically similar episodes.

Investigated the use of cross-episode connections (i.e., when 2 episodes with a shared theme are connected through a thematic structure) in comprehension and memory in 6 experiments with 106 undergraduates. Results from the use of a priming technique in Exps I and II indicate that verification time for a test sentence from 1 story was speeded by an immediately preceding test sentence from a thematically similar story but only when Ss were given instructions to rate the similarities of the stories. In Exp III–VI, a single test sentence was presented immediately after a story was read, with timing controlled by presenting the story one word at a time. Response time for a test sentence from a previously read story was facilitated if the immediately preceding story was thematically similar but only if the previously read story was extensively prestudied. It is concluded that during reading of an episode, thematic information may be encoded to lead to activation of similar episodes and formation of connections in memory between episodes, but such encoding is not automatic and depends on Ss' strategies and task difficulty. Sample stories are appended. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning from mistakes: Inducing analogous solution failures to a source problem produces later successes in analogical transfer.

In 4 experiments the use of analogical problem solving to facilitate the solution to a problem that usually results in persistent solution failures without hints was investigated. The results of Exps 1–3 indicate that spontaneous transfer was facilitated by a manipulation of the surface form of the source problem that tends to induce initial solution failures analogous to those produced to the target problem. Surface similarity of content words and diagrams had no effect on transfer in Exps 1–3. In Exp 4, facilitation of spontaneous transfer was not obtained when source solution failures were prevented. The importance of failed solutions in problem representation and the relationship between problem representation and surface similarity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between moral reasoning and political orientation.

Previous findings indicating a relationship between moral reasoning and political orientation have been interpreted as reflecting the influence of the level of moral maturity on political attitudes. The present study investigated the alternative possibility that individual differences in adult moral reasoning reflect differences in content of politico-moral idealogy. 73 undergraduates, defining themselves politically as left wing, moderate, or right wing, completed a measure of moral reasoning (Defining Issues Test), once from their own perspective and once from the point of view of either a conservative or a radical. Left-wingers achieved significantly higher scores on principled moral reasoning than did the other 2 groups. However, both right-wing and moderate Ss significantly increased their principled-reasoning scores if they responded as a radical. Results support the view that variations in adult moral reasoning are a function of political position rather than development status. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training and transfer in combinatorial problem solving: The development of formal reasoning during early adolescence.

Studied training and transfer effects in combinatorial problem solving to explore the emergence of combinatorial competence as an aspect of the development of formal reasoning and to examine the effectiveness of a training procedure based on principles of "programmed discovery." 80 12-14 yr olds participated in a pretest, 2 training or placebo sessions, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest 2 mo later. Significant increases in combinatorial skill with age were shown, and the expression of this skill was significantly facilitated if problems involved "concrete" material of low complexity. With the oldest Ss, training produced significant improvements in performance on combinatorial tasks that were markedly different from the training items in both content and modality. Significant improvements over time and with practice were also evident with the older Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schema induction in children's analogical problem solving.

Three experiments were conducted to explore the ability of school-age children to transfer solutions to analogous problems. This research addressed the issue of how the variability of procedural features in source examples facilitates the induction of a general problem schema and, thus, promotes subsequent transfer. Children were asked to solve a series of problems analogous to A. S. Luchins's (1942) classic waterjar problems. All the problems shared a common isomorphic structure and a general solution but required either similar or different specific procedures. Children who experienced problems with variant procedural features were more likely than those who experienced problems with invariant procedural features to construct a general problem schema and to solve novel problems requiring unfamiliar procedures. This research sheds light on the cognitive mechanisms involved in strategy generalization and analogical problem solving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distributed representations of structure: A theory of analogical access and mapping.

This article describes an integrated theory of analogical access and mapping, instantiated in a computational model called LISA (Learning and Inference with Schemas and Analogies). LISA represents predicates and objects as distributed patterns of activation that are dynamically bound into propositional structures, thereby achieving both the flexibility of a connectionist system and the structure sensitivity of a symbolic system. The model treats access and mapping as types of guided pattern classification, differing only in that mapping is augmented by a capacity to learn new correspondences. The resulting model simulates a wide range of empirical findings concerning human analogical access and mapping. LISA also has a number of inherent limitations, including capacity limits, that arise in human reasoning and suggests a specific computational account of these limitations. Extensions of this approach also account for analogical inference and schema induction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)