Introduction
Problem-solving is an intricate process involving applying knowledge and patterns to decide what can bring the desired outcome. Among examples of the kinds of problem-solving is the analogical kind. This type is based on findings and analogies between the contexts or objects, which helps resolve the issue or make a decision. However, this problem-solving kind involves several steps and has specific intricacies that can complicate the process for some. While the analogical problem-solving framework is based on noticing the similarities between situations or items and then mapping and analyzing the corresponding elements, the noticing and mapping stages can be the most difficult.
Description of Analogical Problem-Solving
Analogical problem-solving is employing an analogy or applying the answer to a previous problem to help with a new one. Analogical transfer refers to transitioning from one issue to another (Goldstein, 2018). The individual’s difficulty is referred to as the target problem when conducting studies on analogical transfer (Goldstein, 2018). The source problem, on the other hand, is a different situation with some similarities to the target problem and provides an example of how to approach the issue being studied (Goldstein, 2018). Therefore, identifying the solution in the problem-solving process is based on finding a similar situation or context.
Analogous problem-solving is frequently used to describe the behavior and learning of young children. It has been suggested that the development of initial social thinking is driven by analogical reasoning, which involves leveraging the fundamental framework of one situation or event to comprehend another situation or circumstance.
For instance, infants copied the experimenter’s objective when given a chance to contrast their own accomplishing actions with a novel tool use step (a physical claw grabbing a toy) executed by an experimenter (Sommerville, 2020). This indicates that they recognized the fundamental purpose of the tool-use act. These impacts were not restricted to when babies learned about the claw or made the connection between the claw and a toy (Sommerville, 2020). They also happen when babies can line up their reaches with their claws (Sommerville, 2020). Therefore, using the process of analogy, children can learn about the aim structure of unknown behaviors.
Steps of the Problem-Solving Process
However, to understand the framework of analogical problem-solving, it is essential to consider the steps that comprise it. Researchers like Gick and Holyoak suggested three steps to perform the analogical problem-solving (Goldstein, 2018). The first step involves realizing that the source and target issues are similar (Goldstein, 2018). It should go without saying that this stage is essential for analogical problem-solving to succeed.
In the study of Gick and Holyoak, most participants required a bit of encouragement before they recognized the link between their original situation and the goal situation (Goldstein, 2018). In this situation, the more successful the source facts are, the faster the individual can compare them to the target problem. This resemblance might make it simpler to see how the source issue and the target issue are analogous, and it could additionally make it simpler to move on to the next step, such as mapping.
The second stage of analogous problem-solving is creating a map showing how the source and goal issues connect. The participant must relate components of the source problem to aspects of the target problem to map relevant story components onto the test question (Goldstein, 2018). Finally, the individual must use the mapping to produce a parallel resolution to the target issue (Goldstein, 2018). As a result, analogous problem-solving stages can be described as building connections between two scenarios or objects.
As for the example, analogical reasoning entails using a traditional analogy in the format of A:B:C and problem-solving techniques from similar situations. For instance, children may find it challenging to solve traditional analogy problems since they are unfamiliar with them (Chen, 2020). However, they frequently learn to recognize structural links and map similar connections through traditional analogies given in approachable, child-friendly ways. Children aged three and four were given a fairly straightforward analogy exercise in the 1990 study by Goswami and Brown (Chen, 2020). The learners were familiar with the context of this exercise because it included questions like “bird:nest:dog:?” (Chen, 2020).
Children had to select an image representing the analogy’s conclusion from four options. Preschoolers showed early proficiency in finishing the analogies and precisely mapping the relationships, demonstrating their ability to solve common analogy difficulties (Chen, 2020). Thus, supplying children with original stories detailing problems and solutions and then evaluating whether and how they solve isomorphic issues using the source tactics constitutes the fundamental framework for assessing their analogical problem-solving or transfer.
Theorists on the Most Difficult Step
Lastly, several theorists, such as Mary L. Gick and Keith J. Holyoak, emphasized the most difficult steps of analogous problem-solving. The phases in analogical problem-solving that pose the most complex challenges are noticing and mapping (Goldstein, 2018). On the one hand, the individual might experience challenges identifying the analogy between two scenarios or objects. On the other hand, it can be complicated for the person to identify the corresponding elements of one issue to the issue at hand. This can be attributed to many focusing on surface-level features instead of more profound underlying similarities.
The result is the inability to find standard features and identify the corresponding elements successfully. Analogical encoding is a training method that can aid people in noticing similarities (Goldstein, 2018). Thus, it can be seen that while noticing the similarities between the problems can be intricate, mapping the common elements and solutions is the most challenging step.
Conclusion
Hence, the noticing and mapping stages of the analogical problem-solving framework can be the most challenging, although the framework is built on detecting the similarities between situations or items. An analogy or the solution to another problem to assist with a current one is analogous to problem-solving. It is common to refer to young children’s behavior and learning as analogous to problem-solving. However, it is crucial to consider the processes that make up analogical problem-solving to comprehend its framework. Researchers like Gick and Holyoak proposed three phases for the analogical problem-solving process.
The phases entail noticing, mapping, and drawing the parallels between the circumstances. Regarding the example, analogical thinking requires applying problem-solving strategies from comparable circumstances and a conventional analogy from A:B: C. Children can answer the query by identifying similarities in the following problem: “bird:nest:dog:?” Finally, even if identifying the connections between the issues can be complicated, recognizing the shared components and solutions is the most challenging stage.
References
Chen, Z. (2020). Milestones: Cognitive. In Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development (2nd ed., pp. 330-338). Elsevier Science.
Goldstein, E. B. (2018). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience. Cengage Learning.
Sommerville, J. A. (2020). Social cognition. In Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development (2nd ed., pp. 196-206). Elsevier Science.