Problem solving by reference to rules of previous episodes: The effects of organized training, analogical models, and subsequent complexity of experience.

The effects of the nature of the learning experience on subsequent problem solving, using an ecologically valid task of a type and complexity that many people face in their everyday experiences are examined. The proposition is addressed that knowledge acquisition and problem solving in complex domains may be based either on the representation of particular previous episodes, or on the abstraction of rules, features, or concepts from those episodes.