The attribute-mapping study explored the effects of order on analogical mapping (Keane, Ledgeway, & Duff, 1994). In the study, subjects mapped people and their attributes to analogous dogs and their attributes. The material varied such that the characters/attributes in the analogs appeared in different orderings. Keane, Ledgeway, and Duff found that mapping is facilitated when analogous objects appear in adjacent positions and when analogous objects are more similar to each other.
The attribute-mapping model simulates subject performance in this task. The model maps each person and attribute in the source story to an analogous dog and attribute in the target story. The results show the average latency, in seconds, needed to complete all mappings correctly.