The Role of Comparison in Social Cognition

Christian Hoyos	Dept of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Dedre Gentner	Dept of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Theodore Bach	Dept of Philosophy, Bowling Green State University Firelands, Huron, Ohio, USA
Andrew Meltzoff	Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Stella Christie	Dept of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
Valerie San Juan	Dept of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Patricia Ganea	Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
William Horton	Dept of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

Abstract

How does comparison affect the way we think of others? Comparison has been shown to be a powerful learning tool in a variety of conceptual domains, ranging from basic spatial relations, to concepts in algebra and heat flow (e.g., Gentner, 2010). Comparison recruits a structure-mapping process that highlights common relational structure between two situations. It helps novice learners see meaningful similarities and differences which can then be transferred to novel situations. This process can help infants and children move beyond the particular features of any one situation and gain a more abstract understanding of complex concepts. While comparison has been established as an important tool in cognitive development, less work has illustrated how it may function as a key process in the social domain. The goal of this symposium will be to show how these benefits of comparison can also influence the development of social cognition.

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