Flexibility in Problem Solving: Analogical Transfer of Tool Use in Toddlers Is Immune to Delay
Bobrowicz, Katarzyna LU
; Lindström, Felicia
; Lindblom Lovén, Marcus
and Psouni, Elia
LU
(2020)
In Frontiers in Psychology
- Abstract
- Solving problems that are perceptually dissimilar but require similar solutions is a key skill in everyday life. In adults, this ability, termed analogical transfer, draws on memories of relevant past experiences that partially overlap with the present task at hand. Thanks to this support from long-term memory, analogical transfer allows remarkable behavioral flexibility beyond immediate situations. However, little is known about the interaction between long-term memory and analogical transfer in development as, to date, they have been studied separately. Here, for the first time, effects of age and memory on analogical transfer were investigated in 2-to-4.5-olds in a simple tool-use setup. Children attempted to solve a puzzle box after... (More)
- Solving problems that are perceptually dissimilar but require similar solutions is a key skill in everyday life. In adults, this ability, termed analogical transfer, draws on memories of relevant past experiences that partially overlap with the present task at hand. Thanks to this support from long-term memory, analogical transfer allows remarkable behavioral flexibility beyond immediate situations. However, little is known about the interaction between long-term memory and analogical transfer in development as, to date, they have been studied separately. Here, for the first time, effects of age and memory on analogical transfer were investigated in 2-to-4.5-olds in a simple tool-use setup. Children attempted to solve a puzzle box after training the correct solution on a different looking box, either right before the test or 24 hours earlier. We found that children (N = 105) could transfer the
solution regardless of the delay and a perceptual conflict introduced in the tool set. For children who failed to transfer (N = 54) and repeated the test without a perceptual conflict, the odds of success did not improve. Our findings suggest that training promoted the detection of functional similarities between boxes and, thereby, flexible transfer both in the short and the long term. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e4ab98fe-11b1-4639-9d90-c6458cf05c5a
- author
- Bobrowicz, Katarzyna
LU
; Lindström, Felicia
; Lindblom Lovén, Marcus
and Psouni, Elia
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020-10-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Analogical transfer, Tool Use, Memory, Toddler development, functionality
- in
- Frontiers in Psychology
- article number
- 2706
- publisher
- Frontiers Media S. A.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85093532356
- pmid:33123052
- ISSN
- 1664-1078
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.573730
- project
- Memory flexibility in preschoolers: transferring tool use despite misleading experiences
- Flexible problem solving and mnemonic conflicts in children between 12 months and 7 years of age
- I will be EXPERT! 2- to 4-year-olds’ ability to flexibly use knowledge from one situation to another
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e4ab98fe-11b1-4639-9d90-c6458cf05c5a
- date added to LUP
- 2020-09-16 13:02:34
- date last changed
- 2024-01-17 12:34:02
@article{e4ab98fe-11b1-4639-9d90-c6458cf05c5a,
abstract = {{Solving problems that are perceptually dissimilar but require similar solutions is a key skill in everyday life. In adults, this ability, termed analogical transfer, draws on memories of relevant past experiences that partially overlap with the present task at hand. Thanks to this support from long-term memory, analogical transfer allows remarkable behavioral flexibility beyond immediate situations. However, little is known about the interaction between long-term memory and analogical transfer in development as, to date, they have been studied separately. Here, for the first time, effects of age and memory on analogical transfer were investigated in 2-to-4.5-olds in a simple tool-use setup. Children attempted to solve a puzzle box after training the correct solution on a different looking box, either right before the test or 24 hours earlier. We found that children (N = 105) could transfer the<br/>solution regardless of the delay and a perceptual conflict introduced in the tool set. For children who failed to transfer (N = 54) and repeated the test without a perceptual conflict, the odds of success did not improve. Our findings suggest that training promoted the detection of functional similarities between boxes and, thereby, flexible transfer both in the short and the long term.}},
author = {{Bobrowicz, Katarzyna and Lindström, Felicia and Lindblom Lovén, Marcus and Psouni, Elia}},
issn = {{1664-1078}},
keywords = {{Analogical transfer; Tool Use; Memory; Toddler development; functionality}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{10}},
publisher = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
series = {{Frontiers in Psychology}},
title = {{Flexibility in Problem Solving: Analogical Transfer of Tool Use in Toddlers Is Immune to Delay}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.573730}},
doi = {{10.3389/fpsyg.2020.573730}},
year = {{2020}},
}