COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 3rd – CHAPTER 8 EXAM STUDY NOTES
1. How We Group Things (Categorization)
• Concepts = Your mental idea of what something is (e.g., “dog” = four legs, barks,
furry).
• Categories = The actual group of things in the world (all dogs together).
• Shortcut (Pointers to Knowledge) = Once you know something is a “cat,” you
instantly know a lot about it without relearning.
The 3 Theories of Categorization
1. Definitional Approach
o Rule-based: Does it fit the definition?
o Problem: Too many exceptions (beanbag = chair? stump = chair?).
o Fix: Family resemblance → things don’t need one exact feature, just
overlapping similarities (like family members).
2. Prototype Approach
o Compare new things to an average mental picture (prototype).
o High prototype = very typical (robin = bird).
o Low prototype = unusual (penguin = bird).
o Exam facts:
▪ Typical items are recognized faster (Typicality Effect).
▪ Named first in lists.
▪ Stronger priming (robin → bird faster than penguin → bird).
3. Exemplar Approach
o Compare new things to real examples you’ve seen before.
o Handles exceptions better (penguins, whales).
o We use both: prototypes for beginners, exemplars when we gain
experience.
1. How We Group Things (Categorization)
• Concepts = Your mental idea of what something is (e.g., “dog” = four legs, barks,
furry).
• Categories = The actual group of things in the world (all dogs together).
• Shortcut (Pointers to Knowledge) = Once you know something is a “cat,” you
instantly know a lot about it without relearning.
The 3 Theories of Categorization
1. Definitional Approach
o Rule-based: Does it fit the definition?
o Problem: Too many exceptions (beanbag = chair? stump = chair?).
o Fix: Family resemblance → things don’t need one exact feature, just
overlapping similarities (like family members).
2. Prototype Approach
o Compare new things to an average mental picture (prototype).
o High prototype = very typical (robin = bird).
o Low prototype = unusual (penguin = bird).
o Exam facts:
▪ Typical items are recognized faster (Typicality Effect).
▪ Named first in lists.
▪ Stronger priming (robin → bird faster than penguin → bird).
3. Exemplar Approach
o Compare new things to real examples you’ve seen before.
o Handles exceptions better (penguins, whales).
o We use both: prototypes for beginners, exemplars when we gain
experience.
