Perceptual Simulation in Analogical Problem Solving

Abstract

We argue that in some situations solutions to target problems can be generated based on perceptual simulations of analogous but superficially dissimilar source problems. Unlike processes associated with perceptually neutral representations, those associated with perceptual simulations should be highly sensitive to context, whether conveyed through textual, visual or physical mediums. Consistent with this claim, we found that when the context of a source problem was manipulated to accentuate kinesthetic structure, people were more likely to generate solutions to an analogous problem. We also found that subjects who drew diagrams of solutions to source problems were most likely to transform them into solutions to an analogous problem when the contextual properties of their diagrams afforded such transformations.