Conceptual Behavior & Language

- Learning that depends on identifying common relationships among objects/stimuli- uses compare and contrast - makes use of abstract qualities- Nonhuman primates-- learn the same/different concept rapidly- Premack (1988)- Absolute number discrimination

- Learning that depends on identifying common associations- No physical qualities are considered, only functional- Vaughan- Associative concepts based on a common outcome

behavior under the control of generalized or abstract stimulus properties rather than specific attributes- responding to objects due to their membership to a larger class, not their attribute(For example: responding to microsoft word because it resembles a word processing program)

when can category learning be seen in infants?

A class of objects that have two or more features in common. (For example, to qualify as an example of the concept an object must be both red and triangular.)

A concept defined by the presence of at least one of several possible features.

(For example, to qualify an object must be either blue or circular.)

making guesses of which attributes are necessary to fulfill concept

Focusing on ALL attributes of a conceptual class or category- Focusing on all attributes, remembering past attributes when moving on to next stimuli- narrow down the list of characteristics

Focusing on a SINGLE attribute of a conceptual class or category(For example: focus only on color when moving on to next stimuli) -- wastes time if you must go back and test new attributes(For example: stimuli is cat. attribute is fur. next stimuli is dog. therefore, dog is cat.

)

-Members of a concept share in common ____________ ___________(For example: bird = wings, feather, but different colors)- The more resemblance something has the quicker the association is made-According to Rosch and Mervis (1975) members of a concept share something in common with other members of a concept, although they may not all share the same thing

- The broadest, general, and overall category such as:- [Animal] / Dog / Poodle- [Food] / Meat / Hamburger

the level of categorization that can be retrieved from memory most quickly and used most efficiently- characterized by neither too much or too little information-Animal / [Dog] / Poodle-Food / [Meat] / Hamburger

the most specific level within a category hierarchy- Animal / Dog / [Poodle]- Food / Meat / [Hamburger]

-Concepts are represented mentally in terms of a list of featuresa) Defining features: features necessary for inclusion in a particular concept; MUST HAVEb) Characteristic feature: aspects of a concept that most instances share in common-Visually based-Features of a particular object are compared to the features of the concept stored in memory-If the object possesses enough relevant features it is recognized as a positive instance of the concept

features that are necessary to be in the concept(for example: a chair must be used for sitting)

common feature aspects that most instances share- not a big deal of some are missing(for example: a chair doesn't always consist of arm rests)

theory of categorization in which some members of a concept are recalled more frequently than others- a object is compared to typical members or exemplars of a category- occurs at the basic level(for example: you are more likely to say robin or sparrow as an example for bird rather than choosing to say penguin or ostrich)(for example: classify car, truck, and plane as a vehicle -- but hesitant to say unicycle or elevator)(ethnic and gender stereotypes)

theory of categorization in which a specific example or member of a larger category or conceptual class- a specific remembered instance- compares novel objects to ones already stored in memory(for example: visualize German shepherd when you hear dog)(for example: think of Kobe when you hear basketball player)

states that concepts consist of various excitatory connections between nodes and neurons- parallel processing, unlike computer processing

applying previously learned rules or responses to novel circumstances- learning to learn(for example: academic success of students depend on doing this each semester across several course environments)(for example: cms 185 taught to read textbooks, take notes, and study tips. this is learning to learn)

- responding to a relationship between two stimuli rather than to discrete characteristics of either stimulus- strongly invites comparison with the process of concept formation- discrimination formed on basis of relationship between stimuli(for example: shade of light gray and dark gray; light gray pecks are reinforced; after discrimination is learned, the chicken is able to choose lighter gray over light gray due to the learned discrimination of picking the lighter shade)

Learning about something in general rather than a specific response or answer(for example) learning about history and Tolman's experiments with animals forming cognitive maps of mazes.

a highly structured symbol system that allows for creative and meaningful communication between organisms

features of language that appear to be true of all language users, regardless of language or culture

single-word utterances ordinarily referring to important objects or events in an infant's environment- by the end of first year(for example: ball, bottle)

short (2 - 3 word) utterances consisting of nouns and verbs- used from 1.5 to 2 years of age (18 - 24 months)(for example: baby up, go car)

limited time period during which a developmental milestone can be completed- critical period is early childhood (7 - 8 years old)

the psychology of language

smallest unit of speech soundsmeaningless(for example: s, t, b , l, ch, st, th)

smallest meaningful unit of soundsingle words (cat, pencil)prefixes (pre-)suffixes (-s, -ed)example: talked is 2 _____ (talk, - ed)

ordering of words

meaning of spoken or written word

appropriately using language in social contexts to bring about desired consequences(for example: speaking loudly in large group)

evolved mechanism believed responsible for language acquisition in humans

Noam Chomsky's theory that all the world's languages share a common underlying structure- super-rules that can be used for any type of language, - kids find language easy to learn because the foundation is already made due to language exposure

during what age is telegraphic speech used?

making requests or commands under a state of deprivation(example: i want a cookie.

)(example: you just mowed the yard and are thirsty [antecedent]. you request a drink from friend [behavior]. your friend grants request [consequence].)

naming objects or events and being reinforced(example: dog walks in room [antecedent] in presence of mom and infant. infant points to dog and says "doggie" [behavior]. parent reinforces "that's right! [consequence].

)

A vocal imitative response that is typically reinforced by a social reinforcer. The response is typically evoked or requested.(example: mother says "say cereal." the child says "cereal" and is praised.

)(example: mother points to pitcher of mile and says "milk" [antecedent]. Infant utters "milk.' the mother responds with praise [consequence].)

a response that has no direction from the antecedent, but may be evoked by a discrimination request.

(example: biology teacher asks student what which kind of cell division occurs for the gametes, or sex cells [antecedent]. the student replies "mitosis" [behavior]. the teacher tells student "yes that is correct" [consequence].)(example: asking, "what is your name?" will evoke a different response than repeating the question.)