#Similarity psychology definition how to#

Two students on the other side of the classroom, previously unengaged in the lesson, say nearly simultaneously out loud, “What is she talking about?”Ī university art history professor assigns to her undergraduate students weekly “reflections” essays on the relevance of various pieces of baroque artwork.

#Similarity psychology definition how to#

The teacher, not really grasping the sincerity of the student, is puzzled about how to respond. Consider three real-life examples observed by the author:Ī middle school earth science teacher is giving a lecture about tornadoes when a student raises her hand and excitedly tries to explain to the teacher and the class how her understanding of tornadoes relates to what she learned in her previous English class about verb formations. Using mathematics in the sciences and the skills of writing and reading are two obvious instances where one discipline affects learning in another discipline, but what about less obvious examples? Can the content in a history class affect learning grammar, or can physics influence learning in the humanities? These kinds of connections seem harder to find amongst students, let alone the general population, but they do occur occasionally. It therefore seems plausible that what a student learns in one course should have the potential to affect what and how she learns in another course. Taking mathematics and science courses side by side with language, history, music, and the arts is a common experience. Students are very familiar with taking subjects that differ widely one hour after the next. The paper concludes with a discussion regarding the empirical testability of these ideas. Furthermore, transfer is defined as near or far depending on the type of similarity that is involved in the transfer process rather than according to the total amount of similarity between the target and base. Based on the philosophical ideas of Stephen Pepper and Gerald Holton, similarity at the thematic level is distinguished from other previously theorized levels of similarity in that it is prefigurative rather than structural. This paper addresses these two issues by proposing an additional level of similarity-called thematic similarity-that people may use when engaging in transfer. Second, current theoretical mechanisms of transfer, based on analogical reasoning structure mapping theories, struggle to explain instances of far transfer because of their commitment to structural similarity. First, determining the psychological distance of transfer is a subjective matter depending on how similar the base and target are proposed to be which makes labeling instances of far transfer difficult. So, if James views others friendly, James does view himself as friendly.One of the most valuable functions of philosophy within the cognitive sciences and education is to help clarify important concepts, and the transfer of learning-particularly far transfer-is one such concept needing extra clarification. According to the social relations model, it is assessed by a correlation between the perceiver effect and self-perception. The assumed similarity is the extent to which a perceiver views oneself one views others the same manner. It includes positive as well as negative characteristics. Managers continuously assume the speaker as possessing social skills and communication styles similar to themselves.

This happens when the assessor, attracted to the candidate, assumes incorrectly that the candidate shares characteristics similar to him- or herself.” The authoritative correlation found an important relationship between assumptions of similarity and attraction. “ Assumed similarity is a distortion of perceptions that may occur during assessment interviews.

People who assume that others are like them can, of course, be right, but not always. In assumed similarity, or the “like me” effect, the observer’s perception of others is influenced more by the observer’s own characteristics than by those of the person observed.įor example, if you want challenges and responsibility in your job, you’ll assume that others want the same.