The computational modeling of analogy-making.
Our ability to see a particular object or situation in one context as being 'the same as' another object or situation in another context is the essence of analogy-making. It encompasses our ability to explain new concepts in terms of already-familiar ones, to emphasize particular aspects of situations, to generalize, to characterize, to explain or describe new phenomena, to serve as a basis for how to act in unfamiliar surroundings, and to understand many types of humor. Within this framework, the importance of analogy-making in modeling cognition becomes clear.
French
Robert M.
RM
Quantitative Psychology and Cognitive Science, Dept of Psychology (B33), B-4000, http://www.ulg.ac.be/cogsci/rfrench.html, Liege, Belgium