Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Understanding problem solving and methods for learning is a main goal of cognitive science. Analogical reasoning simplifies problem solving by transferring previously learned knowledge from a source problem to the current target problem in order to reduce search. To provide a more detailed analysis of the mechanisms of transfer, w e describe a process called internal analogy that transfers experience from a completed subgoal in the same problem to solve the current target subgoal. W e explain what constitutes an appropriate source problem and what knowledge to transfer from that source, in addition to examining the associated memory organization. Unlike case-based reasoning methods, this process does not require large amounts of accumulated experience before it is effective; it provides useful search control at the outset of problem solving. Data from a study of subjects solving DC-circuit problems designed to facilitate transfer supports the psychological validity of the mechanism.