Module 11: Concepts and Schemas

Concept: A mental representation or category that groups together objects, events, or ideas that share similar characteristics. Concepts allow us to organize and understand the world around us.

Classical Theory: A theory of concepts proposing that concepts are defined by a set of necessary and sufficient features. An object belongs to a concept if and only if it possesses all of these defining features.

Prototype Theory: A theory of concepts suggesting that concepts are represented by a "prototype," which is a typical or average example of the category. New items are categorized based on their similarity to the prototype.

Conceptual Atomism: The view that some concepts are basic or "atomic" and cannot be broken down into simpler conceptual components. These fundamental concepts are thought to be the building blocks of thought.

Typicality Effects: The phenomenon that people judge some members of a category as being more typical or representative than others. For example, a robin is typically judged as a more typical bird than a penguin.

Pet Fish Problem: A challenge to the Classical Theory of concepts. It's difficult to define necessary and sufficient features for categories like "pet fish" because the boundaries can be fuzzy and there isn't a clear set of defining attributes that all pet fish share and no non-pet fish have.

Jen Aniston Neuron: A hypothetical neuron (or small group of neurons) proposed to represent a highly specific concept, like the visual image of the actress Jennifer Aniston. The existence of such highly specific neurons is debated in neuroscience.

Cascading Activation: A model of information processing in which activation spreads continuously through a network of interconnected nodes. Processing in one stage can begin before processing in the previous stage is fully completed, leading to overlapping and interactive processing.

Schema: A structured mental framework or organized body of knowledge about a particular topic, event, person, or situation. Schemas help us to interpret new information, make predictions, and guide our behavior.

Assimilation: In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the process of incorporating new information or experiences into existing schemas. The new information is interpreted in a way that fits the current understanding.

Accommodation: In Piaget's theory, the process of modifying existing schemas or creating new ones to fit new information or experiences that cannot be easily assimilated. This involves changing our understanding to match the new input.