Knowledge Networks

Question 1

What is the “theory” theory

Answer 1

we know much more about categories than a list of their features or their values in dimensional space
categories : provide explanations for how things work in the World
categories center on causal relations between entities of the world
theories guide perception by leading us to believe that partcular feature are interesting or relevant and others are not
knowledge based causal theory

Categories include causal explanations : doesn’t contradict similarity - based on knowledge

Question 2

What is the evidence for theory theory

Answer 2

children when given more information for a horse like animal - able to recognize the correct animal
category membership determined by our concepts/theories of biology

Question 3

natural kinds versus artifacts

Answer 3

natural kind: essential properties
artifacts: not the same essential properties
both represented in different regions of the brain

Question 4

how are concepts organized?

Answer 4

concepts are rich and interrelated 
three models:  
1. collins and quillians hierarchal model 
2. propositional networks 
3. connectionist networks

Question 5

Collins and quillian hierarchical Network. explain and evidence

Answer 5

structure is hierarchical
time to retrieve information depends on the number of links

cognitive economy
– properties stored at only highest possible level
inhertiance
– Lower-level items also share properties of higher-level items

evidence : reaction times go up for longer associate paths

Question 6

what is propositional network?

Answer 6

proposition = the smallest unit that can be true and false

nodes = concepts
links - relations and associations between concepts