Abi. Bernardo, PROBLEM-SPECIFIC INFORMATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROBLEM-TYPE SCHEMATA, Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition, 20(2), 1994, pp. 379-395
The proposition that problem-type schemata include both problem-specif
ic and abstract information was examined. Recognition priming was used
to capture schema acquisition as it evolves in analogical problem sol
ving. Priming was used to show that Ss form associations in memory bet
ween problem-specific sentences drawn from analogous problems. In Expe
riment 1, Ss formed such associations but only when analogical transfe
r was facilitated. In Experiment 2, Ss formed associations only among
sentences that related to abstract problem information. In Experiment
3, Ss did not form associations among sentences that interfered with a
ccess to abstract information during transfer. In Experiment 4, Ss acc
essed problem-specific sentences in problem-type schemata when given n
ew problems of the same type. The results suggest that problem solvers
retain problem-specific information in schemata because the informati
on affords access to abstract information during transfer. Results are
discussed in terms of a conservative generalization model of schema a
cquisition that emphasizes the importance of problem-specific informat
ion in problem solving.