Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The role of instance retrieval in understanding complex concepts

K C Gray1, E E Smith

  • 1Department of Marketing, J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-2001, USA.

Memory & Cognition
|November 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Typicality reversals in complex concepts occur because people retrieve stored instances. This study confirms that instance retrieval strongly predicts typicality judgments, especially when many instances are recalled.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sex Moderates the Association between Frailty and Mild Behavioral Impairment.

The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease·2022
Same author

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 isolation measures on individuals with mood disorders in mental health clinics.

Journal of affective disorders reports·2022
Same author

Network analysis of impulse dyscontrol in mild cognitive impairment and subjective cognitive decline.

International psychogeriatrics·2021
Same author

Statin treatment and accrual of covert cerebral ischaemia on neuroimaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

European journal of neurology·2020
Same author

"If it helps someone, then I want to do it": Perspectives of persons living with dementia on research registry participation.

Dementia (London, England)·2019
Same author

Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations for Acute Stroke Management: Prehospital, Emergency Department, and Acute Inpatient Stroke Care, 6th Edition, Update 2018.

International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society·2018

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Concept Formation
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • In conceptual combination, properties often become more salient in complex concepts than in their simpler components.
  • Previous research (Medin & Shoben, 1988) demonstrated typicality reversals, where a property is more typical for a complex concept than its constituents (e.g., 'wooden' for 'large spoon' vs. 'spoon').

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether typicality reversals in conceptual combinations stem from the retrieval of stored instances.
  • To test the hypothesis that typicality judgments correlate with instance retrieval performance.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1: Documented typicality reversals across a range of complex concepts.
  • Experiments 2 & 3: Participants described instances of these concepts.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Statistical analysis: Correlated instance retrieval data with observed typicality reversals.

    • Main Results:

    • Confirmed typicality reversals in conceptual combinations.
    • A substantial correlation was found between predicted typicality reversals (based on instance descriptions) and obtained reversals.
    • This correlation was stronger for concepts where participants recalled a greater number of instances.

    Conclusions:

    • Typicality reversals in conceptual combinations are significantly influenced by the retrieval of specific stored instances.
    • Instance retrieval processes play a crucial role in how people form judgments about complex concepts.
    • The findings support an instance-based model of conceptual combination and typicality.