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Related Concept Videos

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A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
08:12

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Similarity After Goodman.

Lieven Decock, Igor Douven

    Review of Philosophy and Psychology
    |May 5, 2012
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Philosopher Nelson Goodman argued similarity is scientifically useless. However, recent psychological and cognitive science research, using set-theoretic and geometrical accounts, shows similarity remains a valuable concept.

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    Area of Science:

    • Cognitive Science
    • Philosophy of Science
    • Psychology

    Background:

    • Nelson Goodman's critique questioned the philosophical and scientific utility of the concept of similarity.
    • Previous philosophical and scientific discourse often treated similarity as an ill-defined notion.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To re-evaluate Nelson Goodman's critique of similarity.
    • To assess the contemporary relevance of similarity in psychology and cognitive science.
    • To demonstrate the continued value of similarity as a scientific concept.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of Nelson Goodman's critique.
    • Application of Amos Tversky's set-theoretic account of similarity.
    • Examination of Peter Gärdenfors's geometrical account of similarity.

    Main Results:

    • Goodman's critique, while insightful, does not invalidate the concept of similarity.
    • Tversky's and Gärdenfors's models provide robust frameworks for understanding similarity.
    • Similarity remains a crucial concept in cognitive science and psychology.

    Conclusions:

    • The concept of similarity is philosophically and scientifically viable.
    • Contemporary models support the utility of similarity in explaining cognitive processes.
    • Dismissing similarity based on older critiques is unwarranted given recent advancements.