Definition
Analogy is the process of mapping a familiar situation onto a new one in order to bootstrap understanding when direct experience is missing.
Why it matters
Analogy is one of the few tools that lets a learner make progress in a completely new domain by borrowing structure from domains they already know.
Scientific basis
Cognitive science of analogical reasoning shows that mapping structure across cases is a primary engine of learning and creative problem solving.
How to apply it
- When facing a new concept, ask which concept you already know it most resembles.
- Identify both the shared structure and the differences between the two cases.
- Test the analogy by trying to predict outcomes from the borrowed structure.
Common mistakes
- Stopping at surface similarity without checking the underlying mapping.
- Treating an analogy as proof rather than as a starting hypothesis.
- Carrying an analogy into contexts where it no longer applies.
Examples
- Understanding electricity by mapping it to water flow in pipes.
- Borrowing biological immune-system concepts to design computer security.
Related concepts
- Mental Models (complements)
Analogy is often how a new mental model is built. - Transfer of Learning (is a foundation for)
Analogy is the cognitive mechanism behind transfer.
Where it shows up
Domains: programming, math-and-science, student-learning. Appears in the Comprehension & Depth cluster alongside 4 other concepts.
Source books
- Make It Stick: Brown, Roediger & McDaniel
- Learning How to Learn: Barbara Oakley
Articles that use this concept (3)
- Learn Anything With Analogy: analogy learning
- The Wrong Analogy Trap: wrong analogy
- Use Comparisons to Build Understanding: comparison learning