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Abstract Metaphor generation is both a creative act and a means of learning. When learning a new concept, people often create a metaphor to connect the new concept to existing knowledge. Does the manner in which people generate a metaphor, via sudden insight (Aha! moment) or deliberate analysis, influence the quality of generation and subsequent learning outcomes? According to some research, deliberate processing enhances knowledge retention; hence, generation via analysis likely leads to better concept learning. However, other research has shown that solutions generated via insight are better remembered. In the current study, participants were presented with science concepts and descriptions, then generated metaphors for the concepts. They also indicated how they generated each metaphor and rated their metaphor for novelty and aptness. We assessed participants’ learning outcomes with a memory test and evaluated the creative quality of the metaphors based on self‐ and crowd‐sourced ratings. Consistent with the deliberate processing benefit, participants became more familiar with the target science concept if they previously generated a metaphor for the concept via analysis compared to via insight. We also found that metaphors generated via analysis did not differ from metaphors generated via insight in quality (aptness or novelty) nor in how well they were remembered. However, participants’ self‐evaluations of metaphors generated via insight showed more agreement with independent raters, suggesting the role of insight in modulating the creative ideation process. These preliminary findings have implications for understanding the nature of insight during idea generation and its impact on learning.
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This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2026
Metaphor comprehension in preschool children
Recent work suggests that though young children can comprehend metaphors based on shared percep-tual or functional features of objects, comprehending metaphors based on abstract relations across do-mains presents a greater challenge. We conducted two pre-registered studies (n = 272; mean age = 3.77 years; 143 female) to investigate children’s ability to understand metaphors based on object and abstract similarities. We also assessed how children’s language learning environments (monolingual or bilin-gual) relate to their metaphor comprehension. Children were successful in understanding both types of metaphors. In addition, monolingual and bilingual children were equally proficient in metaphor com-prehension. These findings highlight the sophisticated ways that preschool-aged children can use their rapidly developing lexicons.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2201033
- PAR ID:
- 10588903
- Publisher / Repository:
- Carnegie Mellon University Library Publishing Service
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Language Development Research
- Volume:
- 5
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2771-7976
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Right(s):
- Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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