An important component of problem solving is the ability to make use of previous examples.This requires noticing the relevance between the current and previous problems. W e examine the role of the superficial and structural relations among problems and the remindings that these similarities elicit in a problem solving situation. Students learned to program in an electronic book environment in which they were able to store and later retrieve solved problems. Their use of jM-evious solutions suggests that novices are indeed sensitive to structural similarities and can use retrieved solutions in new problem situations.
