THE ROLE OF CONTENT AND ABSTRACT INFORMATION IN ANALOGICAL TRANSFER

Analogical transfer in problem solving is one example of analogical co gnition, which also includes metaphors, similes, and case-based reason ing. The dominant theories in this area posit that abstract schemata m ediate transfer (K. J. Holyoak, 1984a, 1985) or that problem solving b y means of analogy is accomplished through application of the formal o r deep structural characteristics of one problem to another (D. Gentne r, 1983, 1989). More recently, exemplar-based accounts (D. L. Medin & B. H. Ross, 1989; B. H. Ross, 1987) have emphasized problem content an d exemplar-specific details in the various stages of transfer. The pre sent article reviews research on analogical transfer and analyzes the theoretical models in light of this evidence. An adequate theory of an alogical transfer must account not only for the use of schematic knowl edge but also for the importance of surface information in all stages of transfer (Reeves and Weisberg, 1993a). As such, it will be a hybrid of the various models presented, with exemplar-based models such as t hat of B. H. Ross as a base.