PSY270H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Prototype Theory, Spreading Activation, Central Tendency
Document Summary
How is knowledge organized = what is the structure of semantic memory. Category: group of objects that belong together and have something in common. Allows us to predict what is likely in a new sit"n bc they treat all exemplars the same. Categories are defined by a list of necessary and sufficient features: necessary item must have all defining features to be included i category, sufficient any other attributes not req for category membership. We can classify new items according to whether or not they satisfy the list of necessary and sufficient features. Problems: some items are more typical examples of a category than others, leading to typically effects. We generate typical exemplars more frequently than others. We categorize typical exemplar faster than atypical ones. Prototype: the ideal exemplar of a category (super average) Categories are fuzzy (they have a graded structure) Rather than having a set of defining features, exemplars have characteristic features.
