Chapter 9; Conceptual Knowledge Flashcards
Definition-based categories
a set of characteristics that all members have in common. If an object has those characteristics, it falls in that category
Definition-based Problem?
difficult to come up with definitions for many categories.
Wittgenstein’s Family Resemblance
some features are a characteristic of a category even though not all members have them, they can resemble each other in different ways
Prototype-based category
members in a category is determined by comparing to ‘typical’ member. Prototype is a hypothetical ‘average’ of members we created in our minds
Typicality
In Prototypes, how closely they resemble the prototype. More “bird-like”
Prototype Effects
High typical members are responded to and primed faster and more effectively than low typical words
Focal Colours
Human perceptual system being more sensitive to a prototypical “red”
Exemplar-based category
Category is defined by previously encountered members
Exemplar-based category Problem?
it’s implausible to say we store every single member of a category we see
Exemplar-based category Pro
Can more easily accommodate “weird” category members. Also easier to accommodate variable categories
Basic Level
strikes balance between many categories
Semantic Networks
models how concepts can be organized and accessed in the mind
Evidence for Hierarchical Semantic Networks?
it has a spreading activation, activating one node activates others. Faster responses when less distances must be travelled
Lexical Decision Task
Pairs of words, are at least one pair a non-word?
Semantic Network (Relatedness)
-revision of hierarchical network
-concepts connected to others thats share properties -shorter lines represent greater relatedness
Connectionist Model
-Computer model that tries to model cognitive processes by activity of neurons in the brain
-by pattern of activation
Sensory-Functional Hypothesis
-When patients had a category-specefic impairment identifying animals but could identify non-living things like fruits.
-Hypothesis: Sensory features for animals, and functional features important for non-living things
-perhaps both features are processed by different systems and can be damaged independently
Sensory-Functional Hypothesis Problem
-some patients with sensory deficits were better at identifying animals than artifacts
-patients had deficits for certain kinds of artifacts
Multifactor-Model
-more specific than just sensory and functional
-categories are more complex than just living and non-living things. eg some artifacts were on between creatures and non-living things.
Semantic-Category Approach
Proposes that there are specific neural circuits in the brain for specific categories
Embodied Information
areas responsible for performing movements also respond to words referring to those movements
Hub and Spoke Model
Different areas of the brain process different kinds of fetaures
What area of the brain integrates the Hub and Spoke Model (sensory areas)
-anterior temporal lobe
-damage to this area causes a general loss of knowledge
