Reviving Inert Knowledge: Analogical Abstraction Supports Relational Retrieval of Past Events
Abstract
We present five experiments and simulation studies to establish late analogical abstraction as a new psychological phenomenon: Schema abstraction from analogical examples can revive otherwise inert knowledge. We find that comparing two analogous examples of negotiations at recall time promotes retrieving analogical matches stored in memory-a notoriously elusive effect. Another innovation in this research is that we show parallel effects for real-life autobiographical memory (Experiments 1-3) and for a controlled memory set (Experiments 4 and 5). Simulation studies show that a unified model based on schema abstraction can capture backward (retrieval) effects as well as forward (transfer) effects.
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More complex variable-variable KCs imply instruction that includes comparison/blocking and more worked example study.
“More complex variable-variable KCs (e.g., designing a controlled experiment, see Table 2) imply instruction that includes comparison/blocking (Gick & Holyoak, 1983;Gentner, et al., 2009) and more worked example study (Sweller & Cooper, 1985).”
From The Knowledge‐Learning‐Instruction Framework: Bridging the Science‐Practice Chasm to Enhance Robust Student Learning (2012) · cites this paper as Gentner, et al., 2009
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Schema induction and analogical transfer
Gick, M. L., & Holyoak, K. J. (1983) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(83)90002-6 · Cited by 2,955 · cited 6× · see citing works
“Although people do show some degree of spontaneous relational transfer (Gentner, Rattermann, & Forbus, 1993; Johnson & Seifert, 1992), most remindings to prior situations appear to be driven largely by surface similarities, such as similar characters and settings, rather than by similarities in relational structure (B…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialDuncker, K. (1945) · Psychological Monographs · doi:10.1037/h0093599 · Cited by 2,938 · see citing works
Gick, M. L., & Holyoak, K. J. (1980) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(80)90013-4 · Cited by 2,552 · see citing works
When and where do we apply what we learn?: A taxonomy for far transfer
Barnett, S. M., & Ceci, S. J. (2002) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.128.4.612 · Cited by 2,076 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Relational retrieval is important not only as part of cognitive theory but also because the failure of appropriate retrieval—the inert knowledge phenomenon—is a major challenge in research on learning, education, and conceptual change ( Barnett & Ceci, 2002; Bransford, 1979; Reeves & Weisberg, 1994; Weisberg, 1995).”
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Koedinger, K. R., Corbett, A. T., & Perfetti, C. (2012) · Cognitive Science · doi:10.1111/j.1551-6709.2012.01245.x · Cited by 772 · see citing works
“9 The ideal description language for KCs is a formal cognitive modeling language, such as an ACT-R production system (Anderson & Lebiere, 1998) or structure mapping theory (Gentner et al., 2009).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialOlde Loohuis, N. F. M., Kole, K., Glennon, J. C., Karel, P., Van der Borg, G., Van Gemert, Y., Van den Bosch, D., Meinhardt, J., Kos, A., Shahabipour, F., et al. (2015) · Neurobiology of Disease · doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2015.05.006 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gentner, D., Loewenstein, J., Thompson, L., & Forbus, K. D.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gentner, Dedre
- Venue
- Cognitive Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-11
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1343-1382
- ISSN
- 0364-0213 (ISSN-L)
- 1551-6709
- OpenAlex
- W2153699412
- Cited by
- 218
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognitive Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › AI-based Problem Solving and Planning
- Keywords
- schema abstraction, relational memory, autobiographical memory, inert knowledge, memory transfer
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