An Interactive Classroom Demonstration of Propositional and Analogical Representation

Abstract

In a cognitive psychology demonstration, students see a rat's-eye view of a maze, projected from a computer, and vocally vote for moves through the maze. The class takes false paths in the first run, but it avoids them in the second. The learning can be explained in terms of analogical imagery or in terms of propositions and rules for modifying them. The demonstration achieves three goals: It actively engages students, effectively explains the concepts, and provides a memorable referent for explaining other topics such as algorithms versus heuristics, production systems, and phrase-structure grammar.