Topic 9: Conceptual Knowledge

___________ is a "typical" member of a category. a. A component b. A unit c. A prototype d. An exemplar

A prototype

Describe the prototype approach to categorization. Define "prototype" and give examples for the category of "musical instruments." Mention one item that is high and one that is low on prototypicality in the musical instruments category.

Define: Characteristic features that describe what members of that concept are likebroken into two groups: High typicality means that a category member closely resembles the category prototype. Low typicality means that the category member does not closely resemble a typical member of a category. Examples High drums Low cooking pans

The semantic network model predicts that the time it takes for a person to retrieve information about a concept should be determined by the amount of information contained in each concept. True False

False

Present a hierarchical model for a living thing or artifact, moving from specific to general. Include at least three levels and be sure to include both sensory and functional properties.

Memory: holds all the memory of lots of things, see the things that it holds Hard drive: runs the computer and stores things, feel when it gets over run Computer: Helps people with daily/life tasks, feel the keys on the keyboard, see the light on the screen.

Jumping from the superordinate level to basic level results in the largest gain in information. True False

True

The prototype approach to categorization involves forming a standard representation based on an average of category members that a person has encountered in the past. True False

True

Learning takes place in a connectionist network through a process of ___________ in which an error signal is transmitted starting from the property units. a. graceful degradation b. back propagation c. spreading activation d. error verification

back propagation

The prototype approach to categorization states that a standard representation of a category is based on a. a defined set of category members. b. category members that have been encountered in the past. c. a universal set of category members. d. the definition of the category.

category members that have been encountered in the past.

Research suggests that the ___________ approach to categorization works best for small categories (e.g., U.S. presidents). a. definitional b. prototype c. exemplar d. semantic network

exemplar

The principle illustrated when most people are able to recognize a variety of examples of chairs even though no one category member may have all of the characteristic properties of "chairs" (e.g., most chairs have four legs but not all do) is a. graded membership. b. prototypicality. c. family resemblence. d. instance theory.

family resemblence.

Items high on prototypicality have ___________ family resemblances. a. no b. weak c. moderate d. strong

strong