Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of concepts in semantic memory?
What is the primary function of concepts in semantic memory?
According to the hypothesis testing theory, what is the primary approach of the partist strategy?
According to the hypothesis testing theory, what is the primary approach of the partist strategy?
What is the primary challenge of concept learning through hypothesis testing?
What is the primary challenge of concept learning through hypothesis testing?
What type of concept requires members to possess both of two separate attributes?
What type of concept requires members to possess both of two separate attributes?
Signup and view all the answers
How do we learn concepts, according to Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin?
How do we learn concepts, according to Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the relationship between concepts and language?
What is the relationship between concepts and language?
Signup and view all the answers
What do members of a concept share, according to Rosch and Mervis?
What do members of a concept share, according to Rosch and Mervis?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the most useful level of a concept, according to Rosch?
What is the most useful level of a concept, according to Rosch?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the process by which activation spreads from one concept to another in semantic networks?
What is the process by which activation spreads from one concept to another in semantic networks?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the main idea behind the classical view of concept representation?
What is the main idea behind the classical view of concept representation?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the main advantage of the prototype theory of concept representation?
What is the main advantage of the prototype theory of concept representation?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the main idea behind the exemplar theory of concept representation?
What is the main idea behind the exemplar theory of concept representation?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Concepts and Categorization
- Concepts are mental representations of a category, allowing us to categorize stimuli we have never encountered before.
- Concepts have functions such as categorization of novel stimuli, fast and efficient understanding, and making inferences of knowledge not explicitly stated.
Family Resemblances
- Members of a concept share family resemblances, meaning they may not all share the same attributes, but have common characteristics.
- Examples: birds, chairs, dogs
Levels of Organization (Rosch)
- Superordinate level: the most generic and inclusive level of a conceptual category.
- Basic level: the most useful level of a concept, characterized by neither too much nor too little information.
- Subordinate level: the most restrictive, specific level of a conceptual category.
Sematic Networks
- A structure for how information is stored in long-term (semantic) memory.
- Concepts are represented as nodes, interconnected by links or pathways.
- Activation spreads from concept to concept along connecting pathways, depending on time, distance, and number of concepts activated.
Theories of Concept Representation
Classical View
- People create and use categories based on a system of rules (e.g., a dog has 4 legs, barks, has fur, eats).
- Necessary and sufficient features.
- Pros: easy to generate new concepts.
- Cons: categories not well defined (e.g., tools, ballet).
Probabilistic Approaches
- People abstract the common elements of a particular concept and store an abstracted prototypical representation in memory.
- Prototype: a member of a conceptual category exhibiting a collection of typical features or attributions.
- Prototype theory: based on similarity among members and comparison to standards.
- Pros: allows us to make decisions quickly.
- Cons: categories may be hard to pick out key features.
Exemplar Theory
- People take into account each encounter with members of a category.
- Based on similarity among members and comparison to standards.
- Concepts are represented by any number of specific members of the concept.
- Pros: works well for poorly defined categories (e.g., fruit, sports, mammals).
- Cons: requires multiple comparisons.
Essentialist Approach
- People have a general idea of the essence of particular concepts.
- Members of a category have a fundamental similarity (essence).
Hypothesis Testing Theory
- Proposed by Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin.
- Wholist strategy: responding to all attributes of a conceptual class or category.
- Partist strategy: focusing on a single attribute of a conceptual class or category.
- Concept learning: hypothesis testing about a concept by making guesses about which attributes are essential for defining the concept.
Concept Learning Problems
- Role of confirmatory and disconformity feedback.
- Participants forget their hypotheses.
- Complex concepts: conjunctive and disjunctive concepts.
Real-World Applications
- Applicable in everyday life, such as categorizing objects or people.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge of concepts and categorization in psychology, including mental representations, semantic memory, and the functions of concepts. Learn how we categorize novel stimuli, make inferences, and learn concepts through hypothesis testing.
