Exam 3 Ch 9 Flashcards
Category
A set of things in the world that have something in common
Concept
Mental representation of a category
Categorization
when we place an object into a category
5 Theoretical Approaches to understanding human mental representation of categories [Placeholder]
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Definitional (Classic) view
There are Strict rules/characteristics that define category membership
- The characteristics/rules are both necessary and sufficient for objects to be part of that category
Implication:
- All-or-none category membership
- All members are equals
- Clear categorical
Examples?
- Triangle (necessary because 3 sides, 3 corners)
- Bachelor (sufficient since no strict rules)
- Cat? (Sufficient since no strict rules meow, zoomies, purrs, furry usually, whiskers, carnivore, paws)
Problem: not how we (humans) actually think… This is called definitional view
Prototype
Lies at the center of a concept
- Family resemblance
- An imaginary ideal thing that has ALL of the most typical features
- A mental representation
Categorizing
Graded membership
- An object is a member of a category to a degree that it resembles the prototype
Prototypes build up with experience
The Typicality Effect
Graded membership
Members closer to the prototype are “better” members of that category (mostly birds)
Categories center around prototypes, but the boundaries are ambiguous
Typicality Ratings
Rate how typical an example of each item is of the category 1 (low) - 7 (high)
- Some category members are considered better than others
ex: An apple is considered more typically a fruit than a coconut
Sentence Verification Task (RT)
Read a sentence if the sentence is true smack the desk
Rate how typical an example of each item is of the category 1 (low) - 7 (high)
[[[Typicality Effect]]]
- The more typical an item is (high number), the faster we verify it. (interpretation it’s closer to your mental representation of a prototype of a fruit)
Sentence Verification Task (RT)
Read a sentence if the sentence is true smack the desk
- The more typical an item is, the faster we verify it. (Interpretation it’s closer to your mental representation of a prototype of a fruit)
Production Task (naming)
- List as many members of the following category as you can (for example birds)
Typicality Effect shows here: the more typical an item is, the more likely we are to output it first
Ex: For birds I would first think of robins, cardinals, bluejays
Priming [covered in book]
Occurs when the presentation of one stimulus facilitates the response to another stimulus that usually follows closely in time
Categorization [Might delete this]
We categorize things by comparing them to our mental representation [concept] of the category
Actual members of the category that we encountered in the past
- Explains the typicality effect by proposing that objects that are like more of the exemplars are classified faster
Prototype theory is not context-sensitive and does not handle variability among category members
Prototypes don’t capture our knowledge of category variability
ex: there is a prototype for cars but it does not tell us how many members of that category there are
Exemplars
Actual members of categories a person has encountered in the past
We store all of the category members (store individual examples)
- Can explain typicality effects just as well we prototype theory
It can do what prototype theory cannot
- Handles variance within categories
- Handles atypical cases better (have exemplars stored of penguins and ostriches)
- Handles ad hoc categories better
– Things to grab from your house if there’s a fire
– Things you take to the beach
– Things you take to the beach
– Things in your backpack
– Things you wouldn’t tell your mom
Prototypes vs Exemplars
If there were 4 objects protype theory would average those objects into 1 thing
Exemplar would store the actual examples
