Accession Number:

ADA096679

Title:

Are Scientific Analogies Metaphors?

Descriptive Note:

Semi-annual technical rept. no. 3, 8 Sep 79-30 Oct 80,

Corporate Author:

BOLT BERANEK AND NEWMAN INC CAMBRIDGE MA

Personal Author(s):

• Gentner,Dedre

Report Date:

1981-02-01

Pagination or Media Count:

64.0

Abstract:

The goal of this paper is to provide a structural characterization of analogy in science, contrasting good science analogies with literary metaphors and with poorer examples of science analogies. The paper first presents a theoretical approach in which complex metaphors and analogies are treated as structure-mappings between domains. Within this framework, metaphor and analogy are contrasted with literal similarity. Then, a set of distinguishing structural characteristics is proposed and applied in a series of comparisons. To illustrate the points, analogies of historical importance are analyzed. Author

Descriptors:

• *SEMANTICS
• *PERCEPTION(PSYCHOLOGY)
• *ANALOGIES
• MODELS
• REASONING
• THEORY
• PROBLEM SOLVING
• ASSOCIATIVE PROCESSING
• WORDS(LANGUAGE)
• MAPPING
• HIERARCHIES
• LOGIC
• MATCHING
• LEARNING
• MENTAL ABILITY
• COMPREHENSION
• PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMARS

Subject Categories:

• Linguistics
• Psychology

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE