An algebra of human concept learning

Feldman, Jacob

doi:10.1016/j.jmp.2006.03.002

Cited by 80 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(122 reference statements)

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“…Moreover, individuals can carry out the task of categorizing instances of a concept without attempting to formulate its minimal description. In the light of these difficulties, Feldman (2006), Vigo (2009), and the present authors, have developed new theories, which we outline in turn.…”

Section: Concept Feldman's Heuristicmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…'Or' represents inclusive disjunction and 'or else' represents exclusive disjunction. predictions of the model theory with those made by its four remaining rivals: minimal descriptions (Feldman, 2000), algebraic complexity (Feldman, 2006), invariance (Vigo, 2009), and SUSTAIN (Love et al, 2004).…”

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 96%

“…The model yields a complexity index for any Boolean concept, and it is not limited to concepts with only binary variables or to concepts with variables that all have the same number of values. Feldman (2006) argued that this model is more plausible than his earlier theory of minimal descriptions, because it embodies the generally accepted principle that learners extract statistical regularities from data sets. He notes a similarity between his model and Bayesian nets, and with recent hybrid models of categorization according to which learners extract a concept's central rule, along with exceptional cases that do not fit the rule (e.g., .…”

Section: Concept Feldman's Heuristicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several general theories of the difficulty of acquiring Boolean concepts exist, the most prominent of which are: ALCOVE (Kruschke, 1992), RULEX , minimal descriptions (Feldman, 2000), SUSTAIN (Love et al, 2004), algebraic complexity (Feldman, 2006), and invariance (Vigo, 2009). Our task in the present section is to compare them with the theory of mental models.…”

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our task in the present section is to compare them with the theory of mental models. However, we do not consider ALCOVE (Kruschke, 1992), because it has already been compared unfavorably with algebraic complexity across a wide range of Boolean concepts (see Feldman, 2006). Nor do we consider RULEX, because it has no simple extension to the learning procedure of the Feldman concepts, in which all instances of each concept were displayed simultaneously rather than sequentially (Robert Nosofsky, personal communication, November 19, 2009).…”

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental models of Boolean concepts

Goodwin

Johnson‐Laird

2011

Cognitive Psychology

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a b s t r a c tNegation, conjunction, and disjunction are major building blocks in the formation of concepts. This article presents a new model-based theory of these Boolean components. It predicts that individuals simplify the models of instances of concepts. Evidence corroborates the theory and challenges alternative accounts, such as those based on minimal descriptions, algebraic complexity, or structural invariance. A computer program implementing the theory yields more accurate predictions than these rival accounts. Two experiments showed that the numbers of models of a Boolean concept predict the difficulty of formulating a description of it. As mental models may also underlie deductive reasoning, the present theory integrates two hitherto separate areas of investigation.

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Section: Concept Feldman's Heuristicmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Concept Feldman's Heuristicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental models of Boolean concepts

Goodwin

Johnson‐Laird

2011

Cognitive Psychology

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Concepts and CategorizationWe are grateful to Alice Healy, Robert Proctor, Brian Rogosky, and Irving Weiner for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this chapter. This research was funded by National Science Foundation REESE grant DRL‐0910218, and Department of Education IES grant R305A1100060. Correspondence concerning this chapter should be addressed to rgoldsto@indiana.edu or Robert Goldstone, Psychology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405. Further information about the laborator

Goldstone

Kersten

Carvalho

2012

Handbook of Psychology, Second Edition

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Categorization and Concepts

Goldstone

Kersten

Carvalho

2018

Stevens' Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

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The building blocks of human cognition are concepts. What we see, hear, interpret, remember, understand, and talk about is crucially shaped by our concepts. They allow us to communicate, categorize objects and events into inductively powerful groups, organize our world, construct complicated thoughts, and conserve memory resources. Alternative theories have proposed that concepts are represented by rules, prototypical category members, many specific exemplars, and structured theories. We consider empirical evidence bearing on these proposals, which, on balance, recommends pluralism, with different representations implicated in different situations. We consider ways in which concepts shape, and are shaped by, perception and language. Concept‐learning research has important educational applications for helping students learn concepts in an efficient and generalizable manner, and we review what is known about how best to improve concept‐learning outcomes. Finally, we consider future directions for research on concepts and categorization, emphasizing links to other fields, such as object recognition and developmental psychology, and the development and testing of computational models.

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An algebra of human concept learning

Cited by 80 publications

References 77 publications

Mental models of Boolean concepts

Mental models of Boolean concepts

Categorization and Concepts

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