PSYC 1200 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: David Wechsler, Lewis Terman, Inductive Reasoning
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Concepts: real world objects, activities, etc, that are different from one another but share common properties (ex: dogs, games, etc) Mental representations of concepts help guide correct behaviours even for objects/situations never experiences before. People seem best able to use concepts at a level that is not too general and not too specific. 3 levels: super-ordinate level (general): (ex: animal, furniture, basic level (not general, not specific): (ex: dog, chair, subordinate level (specific): (ex: cocker-spaniel, beanbag chair) Members of categories may not share all features in common but one member of a category shares features with a number of other members of that category. If something is similar to the prototype it is probably part of that category. Propositions: representations of how one concept relates to another (ex: birds eat worms) - Cognitive schemas: propositions that are linked into more complex sets of knowledge. (ex: things that happen in restaurants)