analogical reasoning
nounUK /ˌænəˈlɒdʒɪkəl ˈriːzənɪŋ/
US /ˌænəˈlɑːdʒɪkəl ˈriːzənɪŋ/
Figuring out something new by seeing how it is like something you already know.
Using analogical reasoning, she compared the heart to a pump to understand how it works.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A method in problem solving where a known solution is adapted to a similar new problem.
Engineers used analogical reasoning to copy how birds fly when designing early airplanes.
3. A way of arguing that because two things are alike in some ways, they are probably alike in other ways too.
His argument relied on analogical reasoning, comparing taxes to membership fees.
4. A cognitive process studied in psychology where people map relations from one situation onto another.
Children develop analogical reasoning when they notice that adding blocks is like adding numbers.