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Ideals, central tendency, and frequency of instantiation as determinants of graded structure in categories

Ideals, central tendency, and frequency of instantiation as determinants of graded structure in categories
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: 1985
Pages: 629–654
Sources ID: 23014
Visibility: Private
Zotero Collections: Contexts of Contemplation Project
Abstract: (Show)

Three possible determinants of graded structure (typicality) were observed in common taxonomic categories and goal-derived categories: (1) an exemplar's similarity to ideals associated with goals its category serves; (2) an exemplar's similarity to the central tendency of its category (family resemblance); and (3) an exemplar's frequency of instantiation (people's subjective estimates of how often it is encountered as a category member). Experiment 1 found that central tendency did not predict graded structure in goal-derived categories, although it did predict graded structure in common taxonomic categories. Ideals and frequency of instantiation predicted graded structure in both category types to sizeable and equal extents. A fourth possible determinant—familiarity—did not predict typicality in either common taxonomic or goal-derived categories. Experiment 2 demonstrated that both central tendency and ideals causally determine graded structure, and work showing that frequency causally determines graded structure is discussed. Experiment 2 also demonstrated that the determinants of a particular category's graded structure can change with context. Whereas ideals may determine a category's graded structure

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Contexts of Contemplation Project