The effects of domain-specific knowledge on similarity judgements
Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
The study contrasts natural kinds versus artifacts in order to assess the impact of domain-specific knowledge on adult subjects strategies in a perceptual classification task. Subjects classifications show differential weighting of perceptual dimensions as a consequence of background context. In addition, subjects display a tendency to reject identity within a specific dimension when such a non-identity based strategy permitted the creation of a theoretically cohesive category. This provides evidence against the view that identity possesses an inherent value in classification and supports the alternative, that background knowledge determines the degree to which identity is valued and the manner in which categories are constructed.Type
textThesis-Reproduction (electronic)