Ch. 9 Flashcards
Which of the following is NOT a function of semantic knowledge?
a. helps us predict how to behave in a new situation
b. helps us make inferences about information
c. helps us create an organized, connected understanding of the world
d. helps us create meaningful connections to other people
d. helps us create meaningful connections to other people
Correct, semantic memory is storage for previous experiences. It doesn’t directly connect us to other people.
A _ isa set of items that are perceptually, biologically or functionally similar
category
Exemplars are individual examples of _
categories
A _ is a mental representation of objects, ideas or events
concept
_ are groupings of things “out there” in the world that go together whereas _ are groupings inside our minds
categories; concepts
Artificial intelligence has a problem with _ knowledge, since they are not as clever at inferences; they require knowledge that is specifically programmed into the computer
commonsense
Which of the following statements is correct?
a. Poodle is an exemplar of the dog category
b. Poodle is an exemplar of a dog feature
c. Poodle is a feature of the dog category
d. Poodle is a category of a dog concept
a. Poodle is an exemplar of the dog category
Correct! Poodles would be an “example” (i.e., exemplar) of an item stored in the category for dogs.
Consider Medin’s definition of concepts. When do you predict that infants would develop a concept of “cup”?
a. when their language has developed enough to produce the word
b. after they see an adult name and point to a cup
c. when their motor skills have developed enough to use a cup
d. when their visual system has developed enough to see a cup clearly
c. when their motor skills have developed enough to use a cup
Correct! A baby will develop the concept of a cup when they are able to interact with it and understand how it can be used (they understand the meaning of the object).
Classical approach of categories use an approach that is …
all-or-nothing
e.g., birds are ‘birdy’, or not
T or F: Rosch (1975) was a classical theorist (i.e., this bird is birdy, or not)
false
T or F: Rosch (1975)’s study that asked participants to rate items based on how good of an example of a category an item was, in the same way as you did in the ‘birdy’ example. She found that not only could participants give ‘typicality ratings’ easily, but participants agreed on the ratings (i.e., chair is an exemplar of furniture, but a fan isn’t). This is an example FOR/AGAINST the classical approach to categorization
against - if there is a spectrum, then items cannot be given clear features, therefore it is not classical
Why is it a problem for the classical approach to categorization that people believe some category members are “better” exemplars than others?
a. because the classical approach believes that category membership relies on lists of sufficient features
b. because the classical approach does not allow for an individual’s value judgments
c. because it is nearly impossible to identify defining category features for most categories
d. because, according to the classical approach, category membership is all-or-none
d. because, according to the classical approach, category membership is all-or-none
Correct! It may be difficult to clearly verbalize and identify why some atypical items fit into a category.
In a lexical decision task participants are asked to indicate as quickly as they can whether a string of letters is a word or nonword. This task can be used to demonstrate _ _. Participants will be faster to respond “yes” that banana is a word after reading a semantically related, typical category member (as in panel A) compared to after reading a less typical category member (panel B) or after a nonword (panel C).
semantic priming
Imagine you are asked to name as many fruits as you can in 30 seconds. Which of the following are you most likely going to say?
a. apple, orange, banana
b. coconut, pineapple, guava
c. tomato, olive, squash
d. plum, apricot, pomegranate
a. apple, orange, banana
Correct! Apple, banana, and orange are considered more “typical” or common fruits for many, compared to a coconut.
When giving typicality ratings for the bird category, where 1 is an excellent example and 7 is a terrible example, participants frequently rate a bat as a 6 instead of a 7. Why is this a problem for the classical approach to categorization?
a. because a bat doesn’t share very many features with birds
b. because a bat is unambiguously not a bird
c. because not all birds can fly like bats
d. because participants should know that a bat is a mammal
b. because a bat is unambiguously not a bird
You’re right! According to the classical approach, exemplars are either category members (if they have all the defining features) or they’re not (if they don’t have the defining features). That is, categorization is “black” and “white”; there is no room for “gray.”