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reasoning refers to the ability to reason logically with premises that do not allow reference to knowledge about the real world. This form of reasoning is complex and difficult, and at the same time, it is critical for understanding science and mathematics. Two studies examined the use of analogy as a method to bridge reasoning with familiar content and abstract reasoning among older adolescents. The results showed that the ability to make an appropriate analogy depends on reasoning ability. Neither of the two procedures used resulted in an improvement in abstract reasoning. However, generating an inappropriate analogy actually decreased abstract reasoning performance among students who showed greater initial levels of reasoning ability. These results highlight the problems associated with using familiar reasoning as a basis for learning abstract reasoning skills.Keywords Reasoning . Abstract . Analogy . Learning Logical reasoning involves the ability to make necessary deductions on the basis of some given premises which are considered to be true. The nature of deductive reasoning is an important question for many domains of study, such as education, philosophy, and cognitive psychology (e.g., Bennett 2003; Evans and Over 2004). The developmental study of reasoning was initially framed by Piaget's seminal studies on formal thinking (e.g., Inhelder and Piaget 1958). According to the Piagetian framework, cognitive development proceeds more or less ineluctably through a sequence of stages, reaching its culmination in the stage of formal reasoning. One of the major characteristics of this stage of thinking is the ability to reason deductively in an abstract way, that is, to reason strictly on the basis of the logical form of an argument while ignoring any information provided by the content of the premises. The ability Eur J Psychol Educ (2011) 26:355-372 to reason abstractly in a logical way is particularly important for understanding the underlying structure of both mathematical reasoning and the physical sciences since these require the ability to make logical deductions about objects with which people often have no experience or direct contact.Unfortunately, one of the clearest conclusions of the many studies that have examined reasoning is that deductive reasoning is difficult even for educated adults (Bucci 1978;Klaczynski and Narashimham 1998;Markovits 1985), and that one of the most remarkable characteristics of reasoning in children and adults is its variability. Many studies have documented the fact that when the specific content of premises varies, the inferences that are drawn change (Cummins 1995;Cummins et al. 1991;Markovits and Vachon 1990;Thompson 1994). These studies suggest that people tend to make inferences in a way that capitalizes on their empirical knowledge about premises, although the nature of such processes remains an open question (e.g., Markovits and Barrouillet 2002;Oaksford and Chater 2001;Overton 1990).Irrespective of the specific model, understanding how people reason with premises ...