PSYC 2650 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Ludwig Wittgenstein, Prototype Theory, Family Resemblance
11 Dec 2015
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Ludwig wittgenstein argued that the simple terms we all use every day actually don"t have definitions. Family resemblance: wittgenstein proposed that members of a category have. Characteristic features - the more of these features an object has, the more likely you are to believe it is in the category. Prototype theory: the claim that mental categories are represented by means of a single. Best example, or prototype, identifying the center of the category. In this view, decisions about category membership, and inferences about the category, are made with reference to this best example, often an average of the examples of that category that you have actually encountered. Graded membership: objects closer to the prototype are better members of the category than objects farther from it. Sentence verification task: research participants are presented with a succession of sentences; their job is to indicate (by pressing the appropriate button) whether each sentence is true or false.
