Abstract
To explore whether children are able to retrieve relational similar base domains, the present study tested how the explicitness of base domains affects children’s analogical reasoning performance. Children (N=184 ; 5 to 7 1/2 years of age) were randomly assigned to one of the following 2 conditions: (a) an explicit condition, in which analogies were presented that consisted of familiar bases and new targets, and (b) a non-explicit condition, in which only the new targets were presented. All participants were then presented with choice tasks that required recognizing the relational structural similarity between the base and the target. In the explicit conditions, the 6- to 7 1/2-year-old children could recognize the relational structural similarities. In the non-explicit condition, the kindergarteners had great difficulty, whereas the 7- to 7 1/2-year-olds could recognize the relational structural similarities. The findings were discussed in relation to the acquisition of re-representational relational knowledge.
