ABSTRACT
Anology is one important way in which people acquire new information. Most knowledge acquisition by analogy is rather mundane, as when a student learns to solve a physics problem by analogy to an example presented in a textbook. This type of analogical problem solving is the focus of this chapter. Occasionally, knowledge acquisition by analogy can be more profound, as when a scientist discovers a new theory by analogy to an existing theory. Our general view is that all forms of analogy, mundane or profound, involve the same basic processes. Given the importance of learning by analogy and the peculiar role of analogy in the history of the ACT–R theory, we aim in this chapter to formulate a detailed understanding of analogy in ACT–R 4.0. This both significantly extends the scope of what can be modeled in ACT–R and helps complete our understanding of production compilation as introduced in Chapter 4.
