Modeling Learning of Relational Abstractions via Structural Alignment

Subu Kandaswamy, Kenneth D. Forbus

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Learning abstract relationships is an essential capability in human intelligence. Christie & Gentner (2010) argued that comparison plays a crucial role in such learning. Structural alignment highlights the shared relational structure between compared examples, thereby making it more salient and accessible for subsequent use. They showed that 3-4 year old children who compared examples in a word-extension task showed higher sensitivity to relational structure. This paper shows how a slight extension to an existing analogical model of word learning (Lockwood et al 2008) can be used to simulate their experiments. This provides another source of evidence for comparison as a mechanism for learning relational abstractions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationBuilding Bridges Across Cognitive Sciences Around the World - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2012
EditorsNaomi Miyake, David Peebles, Richard P. Cooper
PublisherThe Cognitive Science Society
Pages545-550
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9780976831884
StatePublished - 2012
Event34th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Building Bridges Across Cognitive Sciences Around the World, CogSci 2012 - Sapporo, Japan
Duration: Aug 1 2012Aug 4 2012

Publication series

NameBuilding Bridges Across Cognitive Sciences Around the World - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2012

Conference

Conference34th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Building Bridges Across Cognitive Sciences Around the World, CogSci 2012
Country/TerritoryJapan
CitySapporo
Period8/1/128/4/12

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

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