Resolving symbolic mismatches

Figure 3: This figure shows a high level description of my theory of the role of visual reasoning in analogical problem solving. Straight horizontal arrows represent input (arrows entering a box) and output (arrows exiting a box.) Boxes represent complex actions to be taken by the agent. Curved arrows represent an ordering relation. A series of boxes connected with curved lines represent a series of ordered subtasks of the higher task, connected with a vertical line. The order is from left to right. Boxes below a task that are unconnected to each other are not subtasks but alternative methods for achieving the task in the box above it. Realistically, there is looping in the analogical process; this will be detailed in the model section of this proposal.

Analogy is one among many ways to find a problem solution. For example, if an identical problem has been encountered before, that solution might be retrieved directly. In Figure 3, analogy is a method for a problem solving task. Analogy consists of several steps: retrieval of a candidate source analog in memory; mapping the components of the analogs; transfer of knowledge from source to target; evaluation; and storage of the target in memory, perhaps to be used as a source analog later. Much of this dissertation will involve changing the representations of the analogs, which is a non-essential but often useful process to prepare the analogs for one of the above core steps.