A child does not discover the world by learning abstract rules. Instead it learns by looking at concrete examples. An example contains the rules as well. In contrast to rules, the recognition of examples can be based on tangible reality. The knowledge extracted from an example serves as a pattern that is used to remember facts and to construct new solutions. When grownups are about to learn something or have to apply unknown tools, they are put into a child’s position again. They will favor concrete examples over abstract rules. The rules will happily be generated automatically, for this is how the brain works.

—Demeyer, Ducasse & Niertrasz (2013)