---
title: "Structure-mapping: A theoretical framework for analogy (1983)"
description: "Gentner addresses a basic question in cognitive science: what rules do people implicitly follow when… 15 references, cited by 99 papers here."
authors: ["Dedre Gentner"]
year: 1983
venue: "Cognitive Science"
source: "https://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/gentner/papers/Gentner83.pdf"
doi: "10.1207/s15516709cog0702_3"
licence: "All rights reserved — free to read at the source"
summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License"
canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/gentner-1983-structure-mapping-theoretical-framework-analogy/"
---
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# Structure-mapping: A theoretical framework for analogy

**Authors:** Dedre Gentner · **Year:** 1983 · **Venue:** [Cognitive Science](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/cognitive-science/) ([Cognitive Science 1983](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/cognitive-science/1983/)) · **Publisher:** [Wiley](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/publishers/wiley/) · **Licence:** All rights reserved — free to read at the source

**Links:** [Publisher's page](https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0702_3) · [PDF](https://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/gentner/papers/Gentner83.pdf) · [DOI 10.1207/s15516709cog0702\_3](https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0702_3) · [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2026161499)

**Citations:** 5,043 citations (OpenAlex, 2026-10-14) · [99](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/gentner-1983-structure-mapping-theoretical-framework-analogy/cited-by/) in our library, of the 149,439 papers whose bibliographies we read

## Summary
Gentner addresses a basic question in cognitive science: what rules do people implicitly follow when they interpret an analogy, and how does analogy differ from other kinds of comparison? The paper is a theoretical proposal. It contains no dataset or experiment. Knowledge is modeled as propositional networks of objects, object attributes, and relations, and an analogy is treated as a mapping from a familiar base domain onto a target domain.

The theory makes two central claims. First, analogy carries over relations between objects rather than the objects' descriptive attributes. Second, the relations that get transferred are mainly those tied together by higher-order relations such as CAUSE or IMPLIES. This second claim is called the systematicity principle.

These rules depend only on the structural form of the representation, not on its domain content. This makes the account general and suitable for computational modeling. The framework also separates analogy from literal similarity, abstraction, and anomalous comparisons according to how many attributes and relations are shared. It strongly influenced later analogy research and computational models of analogical reasoning.

## Key points
- Analogy maps relations from base to target, while object attributes are largely dropped. In the classic atom–solar system comparison, the transferred content is "attraction and revolution around a center," not properties like heat or color.
- The systematicity principle states that coherent systems of relations, connected by higher-order relations (CAUSE, IMPLIES), are preferentially transferred over isolated facts.
- Comparisons are classified by overlap. Literal similarity shares both attributes and relations. Analogy shares mostly relations. Abstraction maps a relational structure whose objects have almost no specific attributes. Anomaly shares little of either.
- Remote analogies are harder to notice because retrieval depends on relational matches, and object matches do not help. Once found, however, they are more useful for extracting general principles because the shared structure is sparse.
- The interpretation rules are purely syntactic, operating on representation structure regardless of domain. The paper links this to related work by Forbus & Gentner (1983) and Gick & Holyoak (1980, 1983).

*Our summary of the paper, in our own words — not its text. The work belongs to its authors; read it at the links above.*

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## Cite

Cite as: Dedre Gentner. 1983. Structure-mapping: A theoretical framework for analogy. Cognitive Science.

The paper itself, not this page. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```bibtex
@inproceedings{gentner1983structure,
  title = {{Structure-mapping: A theoretical framework for analogy}},
  author = {Dedre Gentner},
  booktitle = {Cognitive Science},
  year = {1983},
  doi = {10.1207/s15516709cog0702\_3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0702_3}
}
```

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## References

15 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Burstein, M . H . Concept formation by incremental analogical reasoning and debugging . Proceedings of the 1983 International Machine Learning Workshop, Monticello, IL, June 1983 . [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Burstein%2C+M+%2E+H+%2E+Concept+formation+by+incremental+analogical+reasoning+and+debugging+%2E+Proceedings+of+the+1983+International+Machine+Learning+Workshop%2C+Monticello%2C+IL%2C+June+1983+%2E)
2. Carbonell, J . G . Towards a computational model of problem solving and learning by analogy . Unpublished manuscript, Carnegie-Mellon University, February 1981 . Clement, J . Analogy generation in scientific problem solving . Proceedings of the Third Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society,… [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Carbonell%2C+J+%2E+G+%2E+Towards+a+computational+model+of+problem+solving+and+learning+by+analogy+%2E+Unpublished+manuscript%2C+Carnegie%2DMellon+University%2C+February+1981+%2E+Clement%2C+J+%2E+Analogy+generation+in+sci)
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4. Collins, A . M ., & Gentner, D . Constructing runnable mental models, in preparation . Darden, L. Theory construction in genetics . In T. Nieklles (Ed.) Scientific discovery : Case studies. D. Reidel Publishing Co ., 1980. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Collins%2C+A+%2E+M+%2E%2C+%26+Gentner%2C+D+%2E+Constructing+runnable+mental+models%2C+in+preparation+%2E+Darden%2C+L%2E+Theory+construction+in+genetics+%2E+In+T%2E+Nieklles+%28Ed%2E%29+Scientific+discovery+%3A+Case+studies%2E+D%2E+Reidel+)
5. Forbus, K . D. & Gentner, D . Learning physical domains : Towards a theoretical framework . Proceedings of the 1983 International Machine Learning Workshop, Monticello, IL, June 1983 . [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Forbus%2C+K+%2E+D%2E+%26+Gentner%2C+D+%2E+Learning+physical+domains+%3A+Towards+a+theoretical+framework+%2E+Proceedings+of+the+1983+International+Machine+Learning+Workshop%2C+Monticello%2C+IL%2C+June+1983+%2E)
6. STRUCTURE-MAPPING : A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ANALOGY - Gentner, D . Children's performance on a spatial analogies ask . Child Development, 1977, 48, 1034-1039 . (a) Gentner, D . If a tree had a knee, where would it be? Children's performance on simple spatial metaphors . Papers and Reports on Chi… [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=STRUCTURE%2DMAPPING+%3A+A+THEORETICAL+FRAMEWORK+FOR+ANALOGY+%2D+Gentner%2C+D+%2E+Children%27s+performance+on+a+spatial+analogies+ask+%2E+Child+Development%2C+1977%2C+48%2C+1034%2D1039+%2E+%28a%29+Gentner%2C+D+%2E+If+a+tree+had+a+kne)
7. Cognitive Psychology, 1980, 12. 306-355 . Gick, M . L ., & Holyoak, K . J . Schema induction and analogical transfer . Cognitive Psychology, 1983, 13, 1-38 . Glucksberg, S ., Gildea, P ., & Bookin, H. B . On understanding nonliteral speech : Can people ignore metaphors? Journal of Verbal Learning an… [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Cognitive+Psychology%2C+1980%2C+12%2E+306%2D355+%2E+Gick%2C+M+%2E+L+%2E%2C+%26+Holyoak%2C+K+%2E+J+%2E+Schema+induction+and+analogical+transfer+%2E+Cognitive+Psychology%2C+1983%2C+13%2C+1%2D38+%2E+Glucksberg%2C+S+%2E%2C+Gildea%2C+P+%2E%2C+%26+Bookin%2C+H%2E)
8. SRI International, Artificial Intelligence Center, December 1979 . Hoffman, R . R . Metaphor in science . In R . P . Honeck & R . R . Hoffman (Eds .), The psycholinguistics of figurative language. Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1980 . Holyoak, K . J . Analogical thinking and human inte… [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=SRI+International%2C+Artificial+Intelligence+Center%2C+December+1979+%2E+Hoffman%2C+R+%2E+R+%2E+Metaphor+in+science+%2E+In+R+%2E+P+%2E+Honeck+%26+R+%2E+R+%2E+Hoffman+%28Eds+%2E%29%2C+The+psycholinguistics+of+figurative+language%2E+Hil)
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*Updated 2 November 2026*