Wize University Psychology Textbook > Language & Thought
Concepts & Categories
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Concepts & Categories
Propositions - statements that express ideas
- Example - "a carrot is a vegetable"
Concepts - mental representation that categorizes based on shared features
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Necessary condition - something which must be true for membership in a category
- Example - "edible" is a necessary condition for the category "vegetable"
Sufficient condition - something that if true, proves the object belongs in the category
- Example - "carrot" is a necessary condition for the category "vegetable"
Prototype theory - we base our judgement on whether something belongs in a category on some prototype, or best representation of a category
- Example - a carrot is a prototypical vegetable. It has all of the common features - edible, eaten in savory dishes, can be eaten cooked or raw, etc.
Exemplar theory - we base our judgment on whether something belongs in a category based on stored representations of past experiences
- Gives us a broader basis for comparison - we compare all new vegetables to the whole group of vegetables we've been previously exposed to
Practice: Concepts & Categories
Which of the following is an example of a prototype for the concept of leadership on an athletic team?