Effect of Structural Embedding on Analogical Transfer: Manifest versus Latent Analogs

Abstract

Analogical transfer is often difficult because the structure common to two analogous domains is embedded in specific contexts that differ at the surface level. The present study examines a dimension of domain representations that may affect the ease of retrieval and use of analogs represented in memory. Two groups of subjects studied base stories that were analogous to target problems. The stories differed between groups in the manner in which the analogous relational structure was described. One group learned latent versions of the analogs in which the key relations were deeply embedded in domain-specific content. The other group learned manifest versions in which the relations were still linked to specific content, but were conveyed relatively directly with less domain-specific detail about how the relations were instantiated