Semantic Memory II

Practice question-and-answer flashcards covering theories of categorization, schemas, scripts, and the stages of lexical memory from PSY 367.

According to feature comparison theory, what is the distinction between defining features and characteristic features?

Defining features are required attributes for category membership (e.g., all birds lay eggs), whereas characteristic features are typical but not required (e.g., most birds fly).

How does situated simulation theory explain how people categorize objects and concepts?

It proposes that categories are employed dynamically in the moment based on one's goals and current situation, meaning the same thing can be categorized differently depending on the situation.

In Bartlett's (1932) "War of the Ghosts" study, what did participants' retrieval errors demonstrate about schemas?

Participants used schemata to "fill in the gaps" during retrieval, leading British students to misremember culturally unfamiliar details like seal hunting as fishing.

What are the three stages of lexical memory, and what information is encoded at each stage?

The conceptual stage encodes the idea; the lemma stage encodes the associated word, including its meaning and syntax (such as part of speech); and the lexeme stage encodes morphology and phonology (how the word looks and sounds).

What is the difference between word exchange errors and sound substitution errors in lexical memory?

Word exchange errors involve swapping one word for a related word with the same syntax, whereas sound substitution errors involve swapping a word for a similar-sounding one.