Abstract
An evaluation of exemplar-based models of generalization was provided for ill-defined categories in a category abstraction paradigm. 72 undergraduates initially classified 35 high-level distortions into 3 categories, defined by 5, 10, and 20 different patterns, followed by a transfer test administered immediately and after 1 wk. The transfer patterns included old, new, prototype, and unrelated exemplars of which the new patterns were at 1 of 5 levels of similarity to a particular training (old) stimulus. In both experiments, increases in category size and old-new similarity facilitated transfer performance. However, the effectiveness of old-new similarity was strongly attenuated by increases in category size and delay of the transfer test. It is concluded that examplar-based generalization may be effective only under conditions of minimal category experience and immediacy of test; with continued category experience, performance on the prototype determines classification accuracy. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 418-439 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 1981 |
Keywords
- category size &
- immediacy of transfer test, exemplar-based generalization in category abstraction, college students
- similarity of transfer &
- training stimuli &
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)