Preschool Children's Analogical Transfer

The essence of analogical thinking is transferring the knowledge from one domain to another domain by mapping.Analogical transfer is solving target problem by the ways and procedures of solved similar problem(base problem).When solving the target problem by base problem,the relational similarity of the target and bese problem is critical to the success of analogical transfer,however,the relation or relational structure is acquired by schematic induction.Many studies demonstrated that schematic induction might promote analogical transfer.This study based on the prior studies was to explore that how schematic induction influenced preschool children's analogical transfer.This study was divided into three parts.The first part firstly introduced the indication of schematic induction from mental mechanism and measure index and then retrospect and analyzed the theory about schematic induction and prior study in analogical transfer.The second part based on the improves of prior studies had three studies.Study 1 was aimed to examine whether preschool children had the ability of analogical transfer,and from which years old preschool children formed significant analogical transfer ability.The result demonstrated that preschool children had significant transfer ability,and the transfer ability of children became strong gradually as the age's increase.Study 2 based on the study 1 added another factor that was schematic induction,which was aimed to examine whether preschool children's analogical transfer was influenced by schematic induction.The result demonstrated that preschool children's transfer score in only one source analogy and preschool children's transfer score in one source analogy adding schematic induction hadn't significant difference,which didn't prove the prediction, however,the percent of subject who used transfer method in prehint increased,which to some degree indicated that schematic induction had the effect of hint.Study 3 based on the study 2 added another source analogy,which was aimed to examined that whether schematic induction influenced preschool children's analogical transfer on condition of two source analogies.There were two ways of schematic induction.It was aimed to examine which kinds of schematic induction could promote preschool children's analogical transfer better.The result demonstrated that on the condition of two source analogies,adding schematic induction could promote preschool children's analogical transfer.It proved the prediction.The third parts,the future views were discussed.