WEEK 13 LEARNING OBJECTIVES/TERMS Flashcards
What is a Concept
The mental representation of a category
What is a category
A set of entities that are equivalent in someway. (Bananas and apples being fruit).
What is a fuzzy category (Hint: Dazed and Confused)
Unclear boundaries and entities shift overtime (does not have a clear category).
Why are categories hard to define (Example included)
Because objects are broad: For example, if a dog is defined as a four legged animal that barks, this would mean every dog must be four legged and barks. Hence, definitions must be neat and precise.
What is typicality (Example included) Hint: Relation
How representative an object is to its category. For example, apples and oranges would be considered highly typical because they are associated with fruits. But a tomato would be less typical because it is not a fruit.
What is The Proto-Type Theory (PTT) (Included example).
People have a mental representation of a category. For example, all birds have wings and fly so you associate those attributes with birds.
What is the exemplar theory (ET) Included example
Denies there is any summary representation of categories. Instead your concepts of categories is made from memories. When you see an object you unconsciously compare it to a previous experience. For example, you see a green on your plate you will likely associate it with vegetables you have had in the past.
Psychological essentialism
The belief of an unseen property (genetic) that causes certain entities to be in a category.
What is Nature and Nurture
Nature refers to our biological nature, genes from our parents.
Nurture refers to the environment around us, influencing our development.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative changes (David vs. Goliath).
Quantitative change is gradual, incremental change
Qualitative change is large, bigger fundamental change.
Jean Piaget: Children Thinking Process
1) Sensory-motor stage
2) Pre-operational stage
3) Concrete operational reasoning stage
4) Formal operational reasoning stage
Characteristics of Sensory-motor stage
(From birth-2years of age) children understand enduring realities of subjects through sensory and motor experiences. (sucking on objects).
Characteristics of Pre-operational stage (Symbolic thinking & Ego-Centrism).
(2-6/7 years of age) Children can represent objects through drawing and language but cannot solve logical problems.
(ST): difficulty understanding hypothesis
(EC): difficulty understanding the perspective of others.
Characteristics of Concrete-operational reasoning stage
(6/7-11/12 years of age). children can think logically about concrete situations but not engage in systematic scientific reasoning.
Characteristics of Formal-operational learning stage
(11/12 to death). Adolescents gain the reasoning power of educated adults. Logical, abstract, and flexible thinking.
