Chapter 4: Concepts & Categories Flashcards
1
Q
concepts
A
- mental representations
- rely on them to make predictions, infer features/attributes & to understand things
- mental representation that denote the category
2
Q
categories
A
- group of things that are represented in the concept
- organizing the sensory world into meaningful, usable mental structures
- objects, things or events that can be structured into groups
3
Q
behaviour equivalence class
A
- although a group or class of things may be different & many in number, we behave same way towards all of them
4
Q
how do we use concepts in thinking (4)
A
- to react
- to make predictions & inferences
- to communicate
- to problem solve
5
Q
theories of concepts (3)
A
- classical view
- probabilistic view
- theory view
6
Q
classical view
A
- emphasizes featural rules that delineate the category & define the concept
- emphasizes categories as strict classes & are rigid
7
Q
2 core assumptions of the classical view
A
- necessary & sufficient conditions
- categorization is absolute & all members of a class are of equal standing
8
Q
classical view core assumptions example
A
a square
- defined as a shape w 4 equal sides & 4 right angles so w the classical view as long as those 2 things are present then it is a square
- these attributes are necessary & sufficient & 4 equal sides & 4 right angles = square
- BUT, if you were to draw a square on piece of paper it most likely won’t have perfect right angles so for this view it would NOT be classified as square b/c it doesn’t meet the 2 assumptions
9
Q
2 problems w classical view
A
- typicality effect
- family resemblance
10
Q
typicality effect
A
- occurs when ppl rate some category exemplars as being better or more typical category members than others
11
Q
family resemblance
A
- idea that members of a category or class resemble each other but do not share a single defining characteristic
- ex: games - they are all classified as games but there are differences between each game
12
Q
hierarchies (3)
A
- superordinate - top level
- basic level - middle level
- subordinate - bottom level
13
Q
superordinate level
A
- low within, low between
14
Q
basic level
A
- high within, low between
15
Q
subordinate level
A
- high within, high between
