Components of Categorical Analogical Reasoning
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Authors
Grime, Derrick
Issue Date
2025
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Analogy , Categories , Category , Component Skills , Components
Alternative Title
Abstract
Analogical reasoning has been noted by researchers and educators for its importance in cognition, development, and academic domains. Analogical reasoning is frequently studied/assessed by using analogy problems in which individuals are given two stimuli/terms that exist in a particular relation to one another, and individuals must “solve” the problems by providing either one or two different stimuli/terms that exist in an equivalent relation. Early research suggested that analogical reasoning emerged through development/maturation (i.e., it emerges at a certain age), but contemporary behavioristic research suggests that it may be taught directly. However, the latter research was conducted with arbitrary/”nonsense” stimuli with which individuals were expected to have no history, and histories with these stimuli were directly established in the context of experiments. The aim of this study was to expand understanding of the teaching/learning of analogical reasoning by 1) using verbal stimuli with which Participants likely have preexisting histories and are similar to those used in educational contexts, 2) assessing participants’ histories with these stimuli and their relations, and 3) using this information to provide individualized training in the component skills presumed to be necessary for solving analogy problems. Participants received categorical analogy problem Pre-Tests (item:category or category:item), followed by assessments of components skills. After this, targeted training in needed component skills was provided, and analogy problem solving was assessed in a Post-Test. Results provide insight into the role of individual histories with educational stimuli in analogy problems and the skills that are necessary and sufficient for solving them.