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The effects of surface features, causal relations, and implementation details on analogical transfer in children and adults
Abstract
Analogical problem solving refers to transfer of previously acquired knowledge in one context or domain to another. Such flexible use of knowledge is a hallmark of human intelligence. In recent years, a great deal of progress has been made in understanding factors influencing analogical problem solving. However, the mechanisms of analogical problem solving are in need of further theoretical and empirical analysis. Five experiments were designed, two with children between 5 and 8 years of age and three with adults, to determine the effects of different types of similarity and levels of abstraction of source information (concrete vs. abstract) on analogical transfer and the cognitive mechanisms responsible for these effects. The results indicated that similarity in surface features, structural relations and implementation details fostered analogical problem solving through accessing, mapping and applying processes. Externally provided abstract principles were not as efficient as concrete instances in transfer if the concrete instances shared surface features with the target problems. External instantiation of principles (adding an example to a principle) or internal exemplification (encouraging learners to generate examples to match the principle) facilitated transfer. No clear age difference was found in the effects of similarity in surface features, structural relations, and implementation details on transfer. Children as young as five years of age were sensitive to different types of similarities. However, adults adopted a more sophisticated strategy in perceiving analogues by focusing on deep structures while children tended to use a less mature strategy by attending to surface features. This research demonstrates the importance of a finer distinction between types of similarities and their functions in different processes of analogical transfer. This research also adds to our knowledge concerning how content and format of source problems and instructions to encode the problems affect cognitive processing requirements for analogical transfer. Addressing these key issues has important theoretical implications and significant practical consequences for learning and instruction.
Subject Area
Psychology|Experiments|Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
Chen, Zhe, "The effects of surface features, causal relations, and implementation details on analogical transfer in children and adults" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9132831.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9132831