Effects of Training on Four-Year-Ols' Ability to Solve Geometric Analogy Problems

This investigation examined the effects of training on four-year-olds' ability to solve geometric analogy problems. Twenty children participated in three consecutive training sessions that were based on component processes underlying analogical reasoning. Trained participants consistently outperformed non-trained participants on the geometric analogy task, and the effects of that training were found to maintain for a 1-month period. It was also found that the verbal responses of the trained group reflected greater attention to the higher-order relations within and between pairs of terms in the analogy problems following training.