PSYCH 1X03 Lecture Notes - Deeper Understanding
5 Feb 2014
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W/o cognitive ability to categorize, every sensatory experience completely unique. Functions of categorization: classification-allows you to treat objects that appear differently as belonging together, understanding, predicting-compare current to past, communication-category name. The illusion of the expert: feeling that something is easy b/c you"re good at it. Easy for us so must have simple rule. Humans have internal rep of categories that"s independent of rules used to define. Categorize by comparison to internal rep of prototype. Each has prototype that quickly comes to mind for particular categories. Categorize new objects by comparing them to your prototypes. More typical category members categorized faster & easier than typical category members. When comparing experiences to internal prototype, expect to be stable overtime. Instead of storing only 1 avg, store lifetime worth of experiences. Ex. more robin exemplars in memory than penguins; able to retrieve robin exemplars faster. As young as 3yrs able to understand general categories.
