Do large language models solve verbal analogies like children do?

Understand

Analogy-making lies at the heart of human cognition.

• Adults solve analogies such as \textit{Horse belongs to stable like chicken belongs to ...?} by mapping relations (\textit{kept in}) and answering \textit{chicken coop}.
• In contrast, children often use association, e.g., answering \textit{egg}.
• This paper investigates whether large language models (LLMs) solve verbal analogies in A:B::C:? form using associations, similar to what children do.