Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2008 - Volume 31, Issue 04  

Open Peer Commentary

Dynamic sets of potentially interchangeable connotations: A theory of mental objects

Alexandre Linharesa1

a1 Getulio Vargas Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 22250-900, Brazil. linhares@clubofrome.org.br http://www.intuition-sciences.com/linhares

Abstract

Analogy-making is an ability with which we can abstract from surface similarities and perceive deep, meaningful similarities between different mental objects and situations. I propose that mental objects are dynamically changing sets of potentially interchangeable connotations. Unfortunately, most models of analogy seem devoid of both semantics and relevance-extraction, postulating analogy as a one-to-one mapping devoid of connotation transfer.

Related Articles

    Analogy as relational priming: A developmental and computational perspective on the origins of a complex cognitive skill Robert Leech, Denis Mareschal and Richard P. Cooper School of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom r.leech@bbk.ac.uk http://www.alphalab.psyc.bbk.ac.uk/RobertLeech.html; School of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom d.mareschal@bbk.ac.uk http://www.bbk.ac.uk/psyc/staff/academic/dmareschal; School of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom r.cooper@bbk.ac.uk http://www.bbk.ac.uk/psyc/staff/academic/rcooper