The effects of analogical training models and age on problem-solving in a new domain

Young and middle-aged adults learned a microcomputer drawing package either with or without an analogical model of the package. Following training, problem-solving flexibility was assessed. Although no age differences were obtained following no-model training, middle-aged subjects performed worse than young subjects following model-based training. These results support the hypothesis that model-based training encourages elaboration and abstraction processes, and that older adults are less likely or less able to engage in such processing.