Propensity for unjustified analogical transfer

One of the biggest problems related to the application of analogies in teaching and learning relates to the possibility of misunderstanding the content of learn?ing, which in such cases is caused by unjustified analogical transfer. The paper presents the results of research on unjustified analogical transfer in the application of analogies in situations that are typical for learning in an academic context. The aim of the research was to examine the extent to which the tendency towards unjustified analogical transfer was expressed in the learning with the application of analogy. A quasi-experimental research with elements of a field experiment was realised on a sample of 140 students. Respondents read two texts. In one, a fictional animal was compared to a known animal, and in the other, a fictional game was compared to a known game. The experimental factor was an explicit indication of the differences between the compared objects. Knowledge tests measured how much the respondents remembered about the characteristics by which the compared objects were similar, i.e. not similar. By analysing the responses from the tests, we registered the presence of unjustified analogue transfer. The results show that the propensity for unjustified analogical transfer is present to a significant extent. This tendency can be reduced if, in addition to the similarities on which the analogy is based, there are also differences between the objects that are compared in the analogy, but even then it will not be completely eliminated. The basic pedagogical implications that follow from the obtained results are the need to strengthen the awareness of teachers and textbook authors about the potential danger of unjustified analogical transfer and the recommendation to point out to students the differences between the base and target domain. This significantly reduces this danger.

Absence of cross-modality analogical transfer in perceptual categorization

Analogical transfer has been previously reported to occur between rule-based, but not information-integration, perceptual category structures (Casale, Roeder, & Ashby, 2012). The current study investigated whether a similar pattern of results would be observed in cross-modality transfer. Participants were trained on either a rule-based structure, or an information-integration structure, using visual stimuli. They were then tested on auditory stimuli that had the same underlying abstract category structure. Transfer performance was assessed relative to a control group who did not receive training on the visual stimuli. No cross-modality transfer was found, irrespective of the category structure employed.

A Dataset Complexity Measure for Analogical Transfer

Analogical transfer consists in leveraging a measure of similarity between two situations to predict the amount of similarity between their outcomes. Acquiring a suitable similarity measure for analogical transfer may be difficult, especially when the data is sparse or when the domain knowledge is incomplete. To alleviate this problem, this paper presents a dataset complexity measure that can be used either to select an optimal similarity measure, or if the similarity measure is given, to perform analogical transfer: among the potential outcomes of a new situation, the most plausible is the one which minimizes the dataset complexity.

Implicit Analogies in Learning: Supporting Transfer by Warming Up

Analogies between old and new concepts are common during classroom instruction. Previous transfer studies focused on how features of initial learning guide later, spontaneous transfer to new problem solving. We argue for a shift in the focus of analogical-transfer research toward understanding how to best support analogical transfer from previous learning when children are engaged in new learning episodes. Such research may have important implications for teaching and learning in mathematics, which relies heavily on analogies between old and new information. Some existing research promotes supporting explicit connections across old and new information within an analogy. Alternatively, we argue that teachers can invite implicit analogical reasoning through warm-up activities designed to activate relevant prior knowledge. Warm-up activities close the transfer space between old and new learning without additional direct instruction.

Biomimicry Design Education Essentials

The emerging field of biomimicry and learning to design with and for nature has expanded in recent years through a diversity of educational programs. Inspiration following natural forms may give the appearance of being sustainable, but the question remains, how sustainable is it? Misunderstanding the function of these forms may leave designers with products not as sustainable as desired. Biomimicry education addresses these issues by integrating three essential elements into their design thinking phases and by using analogical transfer while doing so. This field learns from nature as model, nature as measure, and nature as mentor, throughout the design process. Through examination, analyses and verification of students designs and reflective processes at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, this research considers natures analogies in educational factors, determining which elements are influential when incorporating biomimicry into design education.