What are the representations and learning mechanisms that underlie conceptual development? The present research provides evidence in favor of the claim that this process is guided by an early-emerging predisposition to think and learn about abstract kinds. Specifically, three studies (N=192) demonstrated that 4- to 7-year-old children have better…

Suppose one observes a correlation between two events, B and C, and infers that B causes C. Later one discovers that event A explains away the correlation between B and C. Normatively, one should now dismiss or weaken the belief that B causes C. Nonetheless, participants in the current study who observed a positive contingency between B and C…

As they observe or produce events, infants identify variables that help them predict outcomes in each category of events. How do infants identify a new variable? An explanation-based learning (EBL) account suggests three essential steps: (1) observing contrastive outcomes relevant to the variable; (2) discovering the conditions associated with…

The objective of this article is to develop baseline models showing principal approaches to category learning. All models are based on a common memory array but vary in memory access and decision processes useful for interpretation of empirical phenomena. The main models discussed are exemplar, prototype, and feature. (JAZ)

A minimal heuristic model of human memory storage and retrievel is outlined in which there is no self-organizing ability, and in which retrieval processes are undirected in that they do not vary with the nature of information sought. The model is applied to a variety of phenomena in human learning, forgetting and retrieval. (RC)

A reminding-based generalization view of category learning was studied in 4 experiments involving a total of 247 college students. Experiments demonstrated that categorization by reminding can affect what is learned about the category and later categorization performance. Implications of the results for category learning are discussed. (SLD)

This analysis of solutions to the Tower of Hanoi Problem underscores the importance of subject-by-subject analysis of "What is learned" in understanding human behavior in problem-solving situations, and provides a technique for describing subjects' task performance programs in detail. (Author/BJG)

This paper provides experimental demonstration of remindings during learning and examines their effect on performance, as well as effects of practice and difficulty. Three experiments examining the occurrence, effects, and conditions of remindings are presented, and the implications for theories of cognitive skill learning are discussed.…

P. Lewicki and others (1988) suggested that subjects unconsciously abstract tacit knowledge about a complex pattern of events in a situation that departs from the artificial grammar learning pattern. The present experiment with 40 third year university students offers an alternative framework that does not assume unconscious rule abstraction. (SLD)

The standard approach guiding research on the relationship between categories and causality views categories as reflecting causal relations in the world. We provide evidence that the opposite direction also holds: categories that have been acquired in previous learning contexts may influence subsequent causal learning. In three experiments we show…

A formal theory of human understanding was developed and embodied in a computer program, UNDERSTAND, which simulates the understanding processes. Due to the number of alternative processing choices, some assumptions were made which are analyzed based on their validity. (Author/DEP)

In noun compounds in English, the modifying noun may be singular ("mouse-eater") or an irregularly inflected plural ("mice-eater"), but regularly inflected plurals are dispreferred (*"rats-eater"). This phenomenon has been taken as strong evidence for dual-mechanism theories of lexical representations, which hold that regular (rule-governed) and…

Four possible mechanisms for short-term item recognition are distinguished. Manipulations of recency, particularly of negative probe items, provide critical tests. Two experiments were conducted using Sternberg's varied-set reaction time paradigm, coupled with procedures intended to minimize rehearsal and control the recency of probes and memory…

Empirical parallels between repetition priming (RP) and automaticity predicted by the instance theory were studied in 4 experiments with a total of 196 introductory psychology students. RP was viewed as the first few steps toward automaticity. Characteristics RP shares with automaticity, beyond a general speed-up with practice, are discussed. (SLD)

This article explores the use of structure in the encoding and retrieval of music and its relation to level of skill. Twenty-two pianists, classified into four levels of skill, were asked to learn and memorize an assigned composition by J. S. Bach (different for each level). All practice was recorded on cassette tape. At the end of the learning…