CLPS 0020- Lectures - Categorization

Question 1

Why is it easier to process/categorize nonliving vs living objects?

Answer 1

Nonliving may include a motor component as well as visual, like scissors vs birds

Question 2

What are the two theories of categorization?

Answer 2

category-based and property based

Question 3

What is the category based theory of categorization?

Answer 3

animals vs fruits vs rocks vs tools, etc.

Question 4

What is the property-based theory of categorization?

Answer 4

color, texture, shape, use, place found, etc: combination of these features that ultimately builds a category

Question 5

What happens in the brain with words related to pick/kick/lick?

Answer 5

words related to the movements activate similar brain areas: kicking activates similar regions to foot/punt, etc.

Question 6

What did Myung et al show about looking for piano pictures?

Answer 6

When looking for piano picture, gaze will go more frequently to “typewriter” when searching than unrelated pictures like “apple”

Question 7

Is categorization restricted simple features?

Answer 7

No, need access to different types of info when categorizing

Question 8

Why are categories important?

Answer 8

can’t make sense of experiences if every object is unique, can’t learn how to interact or make predictions about properties, can’t communicate about objects if every instance is unique, not economical

Question 9

What comprises a category/class of objects?

Answer 9

exemplars

Question 10

What is the classical view of categorization?”

Answer 10

symbol classification: defined like dictionary entires: if we see a dog, we check the list of defining features and match it or not; problem: counterexamples such as stuffed toy dog

Question 11

What is another view of categorization besides the classical view?

Answer 11

taxonomy: define birds as animals, so if you define a bird exemplar, it’s given that it’s an animal

Question 12

What empirical finding supports the taxonomy model of categorization?

Answer 12

Reaction time: shorter RT for smaller distances moved on the hierarchy

Question 13

What is a counterexample to the taxonomy model’s RT finding?

Answer 13

Canary fish vs canary gills: should take a long time to go up the hierarchy to fish adn then down to gills, but it doesn’t: we know very quickly that canaries don’t have gills

Question 14

What are five other characteristics/components of categorization?

Answer 14

Probabilistic, family of resemblances, graded membership, typicality effect, fuzzy boundaries

Question 15

What does it mean that categories are probabilistic?

Answer 15

if it has this property, then there’s this chance that it’s in such a category

Question 16

What does it mean that categorization features a family of resemblances?

Answer 16

concepts organized around properties that may be characteristic of category members

Question 17

What does it mean that categorization features graded membership?

Answer 17

it’s not all or none: an object could be a category or something and less in the category of another or more in the category of something else

Question 18

What does it mean that categorization features the typicality effect?

Answer 18

some members are more typical than others: better exemplars

Question 19

What does it mean that categorization features fuzzy boundaries?

Answer 19

due to the probabilistic nature of categories, it may be hard to tell if an object is in one category or the other

Question 20

What does “list all birds” show about categorization?

Answer 20

Typicality effect: certain exemplars are better exemplars thatn other, like robin to penguin

Question 21

What does “how much of a fruit is an apple” show about categorization?

Answer 21

Typicality effect: apples are better exemplars than tomatoes of fruit

Question 22

What does “apple is a fruit yes or no” response time say about categorization?

Answer 22

Typicality effect: certain exemplars take less time to identify as members of that category

Question 23

What is important when looking at the typicality effect? What determines if something is more typical, generally?

Answer 23

Experience

Question 24

What does “cup or bowl” show about categorization?

Answer 24

graded categories/fuzzy boundaries: not everyone agrees where things fall on the spectrum: can be attributed to experience

Question 25

What can alter categorization of an object besides experience?

Answer 25

context: consider cup/bowl with coffee/oatmeal

Question 26

What are the two theories of the nature of the representations in categorization?

Answer 26

prototype theory and exemplar theory

Question 27

What is the prototype theory?

Answer 27

That the brain stores the average of the exemplars: only the most common features

Question 28

What is the exemplar theory?

Answer 28

That the brain stores the best/most typical exemplar, not an average

Question 29

How does categorization work according to the prototype theory?

Answer 29

You compare the stimulus to the prototype average and see how well it matches up

Question 30

What are the problems with the prototype theory?

Answer 30

when you average, you lose information; doesn’t tell you how variable a set might be; and how do we know so much about fine details then?

Question 31

How does categorization work according to the exemplar theory?

Answer 31

You compare the stimulus to examples of a category and see how well it matches up

Question 32

What are the problems with the exemplar theory?

Answer 32

Not economical: how do you remember all the details

Question 33

What are the beenfits to the exemplar theory of categorization?

Answer 33

learn/store individual members, accounts for typicality and frequency, retains variability and details, influence by context

Question 34

What is one test to determine whether categorization follows the prototype or exemplar theory?

Answer 34

Test reaction time in identifying new stimuli: show examples of both a similar image to the others (exemplar) or an average of the others (prototype); but depends on set size: if fewer objects, remember more details and follow exemplar theory; if more objects, don’t remember details and follow prototype theory

Question 35

In the prototype vs exemplar experiment, what set size is associated with the exemplar theory?

Answer 35

Smaller

Question 36

In the prototype vs exemplar experiment, what set size is associated with the prototype theory?

Answer 36

Larger

Question 37

What is probably the accurate model of categorization?

Answer 37

A combination of both the prototype and exemplar theories

Question 38

Which visual field is biased towards trained exemplars?

Answer 38

LH/RVF: prefers language, interested in difference

Question 39

Whcih visual field is biased toward prototypes?

Answer 39

RH/LVF: doesn’t really care about details because it doesn’t have to deal with language-type things