Patterns and Effects of Analogies in Scientific Abduction – A Remarkable Case of Creative Analogy –

Introduction

The author investigates how scientists make spontaneous use of analogy in actual scientific abduction using an interview method. The purpose of the study is (1)to classify analogies used not in artificial settings but in actual scientific domains and (2)to report a remarkable case which has not been reported in the previous studies (Dunbar, 1994; Holyoak & Thagard, 1995).