Prototype theory argues that concepts are exemplary representations of the central tendency of a category. For example, we have a representation of an object (phone) that contains information about the shape, size, and function of the category it is in, and this representation does not indicate a specific phone but the summary of all representations of the category. Exemplar theory, on the other hand, denies that some general representations are created. On the contrary, if we are to make a phone representation, it will be formed not by general knowledge but by our memory of the phone we know in the past.
Despite the comprehensive advantage of exemplar models in traditional category learning experiments, many studies have not been able to adapt to this type of model. . Yet almost all research in cognitive development seems to assume the specific representation of a category.
A major advance in the study of concepts is to combine conceptual knowledge with more general knowledge in the domain of the concept. This use of learned knowledge is found not only in category learning, but also in induction, conceptual combination, and other conceptual operations.
Numerous evidence shows that previously acquired knowledge influences conceptual operations. The problem is that the effects found with abstract, meaningless categories are often absent or inverted even when the categories are meaningful. In short, demonstrations of using real-world knowledge create two parallel research tracks, as opposed to reversing the nature of the experiment as a whole. One is examining structural effects in abstract categories, the other is exploring the impact of knowledge in meaningful categories.
The two possible interpretations between adult and child studies are that children are very intelligent creatures who need little exposure to learning categories, and that one type of study is not correct because it does not match the supposed truth about category structure. The more optimistic one is that both are wrong.
The problem with open concept construction is that someone creates something, calls it a concept, tests subjects about it, and then uses the results to evaluate theories of concepts. These concepts can lead to the structure of categories used to distinguish theories. But if a theory favors behavior in one particular domain, human behavior in a different domain may not be an adequate test of it.
Capacity Models of performance versus action involve separating two different components of behavior. For example, when we study language skills or memory capacity, we may be attempting to characterize people's knowledge in a general way.
There is debate about why we should try to understand cognitive capacities. Another part discusses in detail why we need a performance model of concepts. But if we want a theory of how people perceive and behave, we should not be too hindered by data about their capacities.
The fundamental questions of conceptual psychology arise from everyday activities rather than being derived from initial theories. Concepts are organized hierarchically. The main argument to be made is that theories of concepts guide the facts before the fundamental issues.
In order to understand how we learn real categories, one must have an idea of what real categories are. Another issue is that, as research shows, learning is faster when information is available.
From the discussion so far, we see that conceptual psychology tries to learn a wide range of categories in a sterile and simple environment.
Feature listings are natural. It is a collection of feature lists of categories. For example, when we tell someone that we are taking our dog for a walk, we know the dog as a whole as a creature with a liver, fur, and meat-eating. At the same time, phrases and single words also list characteristics that are easily expressed, such as felines. The features people list are the most typical and descriptive of the category. This may even lead to bias. A serious problem with feature listings is that people interpret the environment rather than objective measurement of the environmental structure.
One of the most important concepts research is the effects of cultural knowledge about concepts. These studies can be summarized as follows: People typically have learned knowledge about the categories with which they interact most, and primitive judgment is markedly different for categories with meaningless predicates than it is for knowledge-oriented categories with familiar predicates.
Another issue that researchers focus on is categories and their naming. Emphasis was placed on how food is named and embodied by everyday names.
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