PSYCH 2H03 Chapter 8: Learning Reading 8
8 Mar 2017
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Concepts must be defined in a manner that highlights was various members of a category have in common while simultaneously allowing exceptions to whatever rule is proposed: probabilistic rather than absolute phrasing. Family resemblance theory: members of a category are alike in some ways and different in others, but share common features to one another. Imagine the ideal individual: characteristic features are those shared by most members of the category, a matter of degree, not all-or-none. Prototype theory: the best way to identify a category, to characterize a concept, is to specify the center of the category rather than the boundaries and compare items to this prototype. Prototype: ideal or average for the category. Different people have different prototypes because of their individual experiences. There is no way of determining whether an item is strictly inside or outside of a category due to fuzzy boundaries created by the flexible definition.
