What impact does the use of analogy have on the memorisation, understanding and transfer of a new concept? Experimental Study in Science Classrooms

According to the work of several cognitive psychologists, analogy is a central process in thinking. However, research has yielded mixed results with regard to the effectiveness of this process in learning. Our experimental study postulates that the semantic distance that an analogy establishes between its source and its target is the main determinant of its cognitive impact. Our study tests this hypothesis by comparing the results of upper secondary students (N=221) in memorisation, comprehension, and transfer according to the types of analogies. Our results show that distal analogy produced the greatest effect sizes (respectively ES = +0,60; +0,58) compared to the other experimental conditions.