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Reuniting perception and conception

R L Goldstone1, L W Barsalou

  • 1Psychology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405, USA.

Cognition
|April 29, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Conceptual thought is deeply rooted in perception, challenging the idea of a complete separation. Perceptual similarity and simulation play crucial roles in how we form concepts and rules.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Philosophical and psychological theories often propose a dissociation between perception-based similarity and abstract conceptual rules.
  • This view suggests distinct mechanisms govern perceptual input and higher-level cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate how conceptual processing, including abstract rules, is fundamentally grounded in perception.
  • To explore the advantages and influence of perceptually-based representations in cognition.

Main Methods:

  • Review and theoretical analysis of existing research in philosophy and psychology.
  • Examination of how perceptual similarity and simulation contribute to conceptual tasks.
  • Discussion of parallels between perceptual and conceptual processing mechanisms.

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Main Results:

  • Perceptually-based systems can achieve properties often attributed to amodal symbol systems.
  • Raw perceptual data implicitly represents properties analogously, offering significant power.
  • Perceptual similarity naturally supports category formation and is adaptable to conceptual needs.
  • Perceptual simulation occurs even in abstract conceptual tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Conceptual thought is not entirely separate from perception; it is often grounded in it.
  • Perceptual mechanisms provide foundational capabilities that are co-opted for sophisticated cognition.
  • Understanding perception's role is key to understanding the origins and nature of abstract thought.