Cognitive Flexibility

7Cognitive Flexibility and Analogy

Lucas RAYNAL

Paragraphe, CY Cergy Paris University, Gennevilliers, France

7.1. Introduction

Analogies are fundamental to our minds as they allow us to interpret incoming experiences, which are always, strictly speaking, new, in light of more familiar situations. These comparisons are particularly useful to guide comprehension in that they are not solely based on the superficial appearance of situations, but on deeper commonalities making a given situation essentially similar to another one. As such, they are crucial to guide the resolution of new problems by transferring solution procedures associated with analog problems solved in the past.

Certain analogies may be implemented in a relatively straightforward way. A new situation is conceptualized in the same way as a previously encountered situation, and this common conceptualization leads to the two situations being brought together. For instance, one may easily assimilate a royal crown and a roman laurel wreath despite their distinct appearances, as they are first and foremostly seen as symbols of authority. The objects from this comparison may not have to be perceived from a new and unusual perspective. However, there are analogies that may precisely depend on the ability to change our point of view about a given object or situation. The famous analogy drawn by Archimedes to verify whether the king’s crown was entirely made out of gold illustrates this necessity (Goswami 1992; Sander ...