negative analogy

Categories: Site glossary

Features of an analogous system does not map sensibly onto the target system.

"Sometimes, a distinction is made between positive, negative and neutral aspects of an analogy. In the nucleus-brain comparison…there are negative aspects to the analogy (the brain uses electrical signals as well as chemical signals: the nucleus just the latter)." (Taber, 2013, p.1380)

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.