Systematic analysis of variables that contribute to the formation of analogical misconceptions.

In 2 experiments, middle school students processed an analogy and responded to factual and inferential target-domain questions. In Experiment 1, responses were analyzed to determine the effects of 1 instructional variable (context specificity) and 3 learner variables (age, verbal aptitude, gender) on the mapping of extraneous base features. Fewer inappropriate inferences were generated by students who had high verbal aptitude scores, were female, and processed the analogy with a specific context. Verbal aptitude interacted with both context specificity and age to influence target inferences. In Experiment 2, the number of incorrect inferences decreased when students either induced an appropriate schema or processed the analogy containing information that conflicted with preexisting gender roles