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Informativity and asymmetry in comparisons

B F Bowdle1, D Gentner

  • 1Northwestern University, USA.

Cognitive Psychology
|February 19, 1998
PubMed
Summary
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Comparison directionality arises from how systematically information is structured. More systematic items are preferred as the base in comparisons, influencing inference and perceived informativity.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Comparison asymmetries, where A is compared to B differently than B to A, are common.
  • Existing theories often focus on feature differences or stimulus properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and test a novel account of comparison asymmetries based on structural alignment and mapping.
  • To investigate the role of informativity and systematicity in driving comparison directionality.

Main Methods:

  • Multiple experiments (1-6) were conducted using passages and comparing their systematicity.
  • Structural alignability was manipulated and assessed.
  • Inference projection and perceived informativity were measured in asymmetric comparisons.

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Main Results:

  • A preference was found for placing the more systematic item in the base position of a comparison.
  • Structural alignability was crucial for these asymmetries.
  • Systematicity, not feature set size, predicted asymmetries.
  • Comparisons with the more systematic item as the base led to greater inference projection and higher perceived informativity.

Conclusions:

  • Comparison asymmetries are driven by directional differences in informativity, predicted by the relative systematicity of items.
  • This account explains asymmetries without relying on subjective similarity or stimulus bias.
  • It offers a unified framework for understanding literal comparisons, analogies, and metaphors.