Selective Attention & Categorisation Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is one of the benefits of categorization?

Reduces the availability of options

Encourages individualistic thinking

Increases environmental complexity

Provides a basis for appropriate action (correct)

How does categorization assist in generalization?

It decreases the ability to recognize differences

It allows for the assumption of shared properties among items (correct)

It limits the understanding of unique attributes

It promotes confusion about similar items

What is indicated about the transition from raw physical coding to abstract conceptual coding?

It happens rapidly, typically within two seconds. (correct)

It is a process that never completes.

It only occurs with complex stimuli.

It takes a significant time to occur.

What do concepts in categorization help identify?

Ambiguous or missing attributes Signup and view all the answers

Which colors were marked as universal according to the categorization benefits?

Black, white, red, green, yellow, blue Signup and view all the answers

What is one key benefit of categorisation related to decision-making?

It allows us to decide appropriate actions based on equivalence classes. Signup and view all the answers

How does categorisation help in language and communication?

By grouping sounds into words and combining them into sentences. Signup and view all the answers

What role does categorisation play in visual scene perception?

It helps identify objects by categorizing based on various features. Signup and view all the answers

In medical diagnosis, how does categorisation aid healthcare professionals?

By grouping symptoms into diseases and conditions. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes a concept from a category?

A concept refers to a mentally possessed idea, while a category refers to grouped entities. Signup and view all the answers

How does categorisation reduce complexity in understanding the environment?

By organizing information into manageable groups. Signup and view all the answers

Why is categorisation important in education?

It groups disciplines to aid in organizing and prioritizing learning. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is FALSE about categorisation and its functions?

Categorisation increases the complexity of processing information. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately distinguishes between a concept and a category?

A concept refers to a notion, while a category is a set of grouped entities. Signup and view all the answers

What primarily characterizes ad hoc categories?

They share a common goal among items. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of natural categories?

Dogs Signup and view all the answers

Why is salience important in categorization?

It highlights which features draw attention. Signup and view all the answers

Which attribute is deemed significant for defining the category of cats?

Carnivorous teeth Signup and view all the answers

What is a common benefit of categorization?

Reduces the complexity of the environment. Signup and view all the answers

What is a feature that typically does NOT characterize cats?

Possess wings Signup and view all the answers

In categorization, what is primarily focused on regarding attributes?

Positive attributes of the category Signup and view all the answers

What property does the probability of generalization exhibit as similarity decreases?

It drops off quickly. Signup and view all the answers

Which category level is characterized by attributes focused on nouns and adjectives?

Basic Signup and view all the answers

According to Rosch's classification, what type of condition has the most features listed?

Basic level conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is one major benefit of categorization mentioned?

It enables the organization and relation of classes of objects and events. Signup and view all the answers

In what way did Rosch classify words into category levels?

Arbitrarily assigned without rationale Signup and view all the answers

What observation can be made about biological versus non-biological conditions in feature listings?

Basic and subordinate conditions exhibit more attributes. Signup and view all the answers

Which category generally includes fruits like Pink Lady, Envy, and Granny Smith?

Subordinate Signup and view all the answers

What does the probability of generalization generally do in response to decreasing similarity?

Drops off rapidly Signup and view all the answers

What is noted about the attributes listed for superordinate level categories compared to basic and subordinate levels?

Only a few attributes are listed for superordinate level categories. Signup and view all the answers

How do basic level categories relate to correlated features?

They tend to have correlated features. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does paying attention to one dimension have on categorisation according to Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins (1961)?

It accentuates the differences on that dimension. Signup and view all the answers

In selective attention, what happens to dimensions that are not focused on?

They may appear more alike to each other. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following studies focused on how people learn categories with varying feature counts?

Shepard, Hovland & Jenkins (1961) Signup and view all the answers

According to the findings of Lin & Little (2023), what happens when more stimuli are added to each category?

It leads to category collapse along irrelevant dimensions. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of transfer tests in category learning as per Nosofsky (1986)?

To identify what dimensional relationships are retained. Signup and view all the answers

What does the phenomenon of selective attention imply about cognitive capacity?

It can limit focus to few selected elements. Signup and view all the answers

How do skilled sailors demonstrate selective attention in categorisation contexts?

They focus on relevant navigational attributes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential consequence of focusing solely on one dimension while categorising objects?

Distortion of the perceived relationships among features. Signup and view all the answers

Which of these exemplifies a folk devil according to the examples given?

West Memphis 3 Signup and view all the answers

What effect does equal attention to all dimensions have on categorisation of objects?

It can obscure differences in unattended dimensions. Signup and view all the answers

What can be a reason for why people continue to categorise despite potential harm?

It can lead to faster decision-making. Signup and view all the answers

Which was NOT a focus of Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins (1961)?

The relationship between attention and memory. Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant outcome of categorisation according to the discussed theories?

Facilitates generalisation to new examples based on prior learned features. Signup and view all the answers

According to the content, how does selective attention affect the perceived similarity of objects?

It reduces the perceived differences among similar items. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Selective Attention, Categorisation & Generalisation

We categorise items based on features that are salient (attention-grabbing) or relevant.
Selective attention influences generalisations about new items.

Shepard, Hovland, & Jenkins (1961)

Investigated how people learn categories with varying defining features.
Participants learned to sort objects into categories based on color or shape.
Over time, participants learned to focus on only the relevant dimension (e.g., color for candle/lightbulb), making differences in that dimension more pronounced and differences in other dimensions less noticeable.

Category Learning Difficulty

Paying attention to one dimension accentuates differences on that dimension.
Paying more attention to one dimension results in less attention to other dimensions, making objects appear more similar on unattended dimensions.

Garner (1974)

Investigated how people learn categories when features are correlated, uncorrelated, or orthogonal (independent).
Participants learned to sort objects based on line position and saturation.
Performance was worse when features were correlated, suggesting that selective attention to one dimension can interfere with learning about other dimensions.

Lin & Little (2023)

Investigated how the number of stimuli in a category affects learning.
Increasing the number of stimuli within a category makes the categories effectively all the same along irrelevant dimensions.
This highlights the importance of selective attention to relevant dimensions for efficient category learning.

Nosofsky (1986)

Investigated how people represent categories using transfer tests.
Participants were trained to classify stimuli based on two dimensions.
Transfer performance was measured by how well they classified novel stimuli.
Results showed a strong relationship between generalization and similarity, suggesting that people represent categories based on the similarity of features.

Benefits of Categorisation

Reduces the complexity of the environment by simplifying information.
Provides a basis for deciding appropriate action, as categories allow for rapid decision-making.
Allows for identifying ambiguous or missing attributes by using shared features within a category.
Enables generalisation to new examples by inferring properties based on category membership.
Enables the organisation and relation of classes of objects and events through hierarchical structures (superordinate, basic, subordinate levels).

Importance of Basic Level Categories

Basic level categories are the most informative, having a large number of correlated features.
Basic level categories often correspond to nouns and adjectives in language.

Grounding by Similarity

Natural categories: based on shared features (e.g., birds, apples).
Man-made artifacts: based on shared function and design (e.g., chairs, clocks).
Ad hoc categories: based on a common goal (e.g., things to take camping).
Abstract schema or metaphors: based on shared metaphorical qualities (e.g., events in which kindness is repaid with cruelty).

Importance of Categorisation

Plays a crucial role in making sense of the world by simplifying information, structuring knowledge, and allowing for rapid decision-making and generalisation.
It enables communication, social interaction, and learning across various domains.

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Description

Test your understanding of selective attention and how it influences categorisation and generalisation in learning. Explore key studies, including those by Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins, as well as Garner's insights on feature correlation. Challenge your knowledge on how attention shapes our perception of similarities and differences among objects.