WK10 L1: Readings

• Who are the authors of the study on basic objects in natural categories?

  Eleanor Rosch and Carolyn B. Mervis
• What is the main assertion about human categorizations of the concrete world?

  Categorizations are highly determined, not arbitrary

  
• What defines basic categories in taxonomies of concrete objects?

  They carry the most information and have high cue validity
• What are the four criteria for basic objects in taxonomies?

  Common attributes, similar motor programs, similar shapes, identifiable from averaged shapes
• What do the experiments in Part II explore regarding basic objects?

  Implications of the structure of categories

  
• What is the significance of basic objects in perception?

  They are the first categorizations made during perception
• How do basic objects relate to children's categorization?

  They are the earliest categories sorted and named by children

  
• What is the relationship between basic objects and language?

  They are the most codable and necessary in language
• What is the basic function of organisms regarding stimuli?

  To classify the environment into equivalent categories
• What is the contention of the paper regarding the segmentation of the world?

  The world contains intrinsically separate things
• How do real-world attributes relate to categorization?

  They do not occur independently of each other
• What is a category defined as in this research?

  A number of objects considered equivalent
• What is a taxonomy?

  A system relating categories by class inclusion
• What does the level of abstraction in a taxonomy refer to?

  A particular level of inclusiveness

  
• What is an example of a familiar taxonomy?

  The Linnean system for classifying animals
• What is cognitive economy in categorization?

  Considering stimuli equivalent within a category

  
• What is cue validity?

  A probabilistic concept predicting category membership

  
• How does cue validity affect category differentiation?

  Higher cue validity means more differentiation

  
• What is the relationship between basic objects and total cue validity?

  Basic objects maximize total cue validity
• What is the title of the paper by Murphy and Smith?

  Basic-Level Superiority in Picture Categorization

  
• Who are the authors of the paper?

  Gregory L. Murphy and Edward E. Smith
• What did Rosch et al. (1976) find about object categorization?

  Objects are categorized fastest at the basic level
• What is attributed to the basic-level categorization speed?

  Basic categories have more distinctive attributes

  
• What are subordinate categories?

  Categories below the basic level with overlapping attributes

  
• What are superordinate categories?

  Categories above the basic level with fewer common attributes

  
• What other factors might influence categorization speed besides distinctive attributes?

  Shorter names, earlier learning, and frequency

  
• What is the purpose of the first experiment in this paper?

  To study co-occurrence of attributes in taxonomies
• How do humans interact with objects according to Experiment 2?

  Through habitual use and interaction patterns
• What were the main purposes of the experiments conducted by Murphy and Smith?

  • Determine if pictures are categorized fastest at the basic level
  • Evaluate alternative explanations for basic-level superiority

  
• What did Rosch et al. (1976) operationally define as the basic level?

  Categories with the maximal number of distinctive attributes
• How did Rosch et al. demonstrate basic-level superiority in their experiments?

  By presenting subjects with category names and photographs

  
• What was the result of Rosch et al.'s experiment regarding response times?

  Subjects responded fastest for basic categories
• What do the claims for natural groupings rely on?

  Correlated attributes mentioned by ethnographers
• What did Rosch et al. suggest about the identification of objects in categorization?

  Objects are first identified as basic category members
• What were the three specific confounding variables in Rosch et al.'s study?

  Name length, familiarity, and perceptibility of features
• What aspect of objects is examined in Experiment 2?

  Human interaction and habitual use of objects
• What is one alternative hypothesis for basic-level superiority mentioned in the paper?

  Basic categories are learned first

  
• What is the action sequence when sitting on a chair?

  Body and muscle movements specific to chairs

  
• What is another hypothesis regarding basic-level superiority?

  Basic categories have higher frequency of use

  
• What does the claim about motor patterns suggest?

  Similar motor patterns categorize objects in culture