People are capable of imagining and generating new category exemplars and categories. This ability has not been addressed by previous models of categorization, most of which focus on classifying category exemplars rather than generating them. We develop a formal account of exemplar and category generation which proposes that category knowledge is…

Knowledge restructuring refers to changes in the strategy with which people solve a given problem. Two types of knowledge restructuring are supported by existing category learning models. The first is a relearning process, which involves incremental updating of knowledge as learning progresses. The second is a recoordination process, which…

Human observers are able to rapidly and accurately categorize natural scenes, but the representation mediating this feat is still unknown. Here we propose a framework of rapid scene categorization that does not segment a scene into objects and instead uses a vocabulary of global, ecological properties that describe spatial and functional aspects…

How does the brain learn to recognize an object from multiple viewpoints while scanning a scene with eye movements? How does the brain avoid the problem of erroneously classifying parts of different objects together? How are attention and eye movements intelligently coordinated to facilitate object learning? A neural model provides a unified…

This study examines strategic and semantic aspects of the answers given by preschool children to class inclusion problems. Results show that children understand the semantics of inclusion but are unable to coordinate their semantic knowledge with enumeration strategy. (Author/DEP)

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)

Historically, accounts of object representation and perceived similarity have focused on intrinsic features. Although more recent accounts have explored how objects, scenes, and situations containing common relational structures come to be perceived as similar, less is known about how the perceived similarity of parts or objects embedded within…

In five experiments, 14- to 15-month-old infants' categorization of objects on the basis of more or less obvious features was investigated. Using an object examining paradigm, a total of 200 infants were familiarized with novel objects that shared either more obvious features (i.e., easily visible) or less obvious features (i.e., accessible by…

This article reviews the history, the use and the reasons for abandonment of the selective adaptation paradigm. The four experiments mentioned in the article show that selective adaptation produces strong reaction time effects, and that items in the adapted category are identified more slowly than unadapted items. (JAZ)

A network model of logical and semantic structures from which speakers or writers generate linguistic messages at the discourse level is presented. (Author)

Theoretical and empirical issues relating to haptic exploration and the representation of common objects during haptic classification were investigated in 3 experiments involving a total of 112 college students. Results are discussed in terms of a computational model of human haptic object classification with implications for dextrous robot…

Two models are considered for how people verify explicitly quantified sentences. To test the models, three reaction time experiments required subjects to verify statements quantified by some or all. The results show that some-statements took longer to verify than all-statements. (Author/DEP)