META-ANALOGICAL TRANSFER - TRANSFER BETWEEN EPISODES OF ANALOGICAL REASONING

Meta-analogical transfer (i.e., transfer due to forming an analogy bet ween analogies) was demonstrated in 4 experiments. Results suggest tha t the basis of meta-analogical transfer was transfer of predicate mapp ings (mappings of the concepts used to represent analogies) between se parate episodes of analogical reasoning. Episodes of letter-string ana logy problem solving of the form ''If abc were changed into abd, how w ould you change kji in the same way?'' were used. In Experiment 1 part icipants generated solutions in 2 separate analogical reasoning episod es. Order of presentation effects provided evidence of transfer of pre dicate mappings. Experiments 2a and 2b reinforced these findings, demo nstrating transfer when mappings for the Ist analog were directly mani pulated by having participants justify an answer to the 1st analogy. E xperiment 3 demonstrated that a mapping of nonidentical predicates (su ccessor to predecessor) can also be transferred.