What responses to domain-specific analogy problems reveal about emerging competence: A new perspective on an old acquaintance.

The authors conducted 2 studies to investigate the categorization of students' correct and incorrect responses to domain-specific analogy problems. In Study 1, participants were 6th graders who generated answers to classical analogy problems in the domain of human biology (e.g., cabin:log::skeleton:____). Study 2 focused on the analogical problem solving of undergraduates working in the domain of educational psychology. The basis for categorizing responses in both studies was a 7-level hierarchical response model proposed by P. A. Alexander (1990). Cross-study results provided support for the response categories and for their hierarchical nature. Study 1 indicated that students" answers to analogies were nonrandom in that there were within-subject error preferences. In Study 2, student responses reflected training in domain concepts and strategic processes, and the direction of changes matched expectations of the ordered hierarchical response scheme. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)