No description available.

The roles of independent and correlated properties in real world object concepts were explored. Property norms were collected for 190 natural kinds and artifacts. The norms were used to design behavioral experiments and computational models of concept similarity. Property intercorrelations influenced performance in property verification. Concept similarity, as measured by overlap of independent properties, predicted similarity ratings, speeded same/different category decision latency, and short interval priming latency. Concept similarity, as measured by overlap of correlated properties, predicted same/different category decision latency and short interval priming for natural kinds. It was concluded that people encode knowledge about independent and correlated properties of real-world objects. The influence of property intercorrelations is stronger for natural kinds because natural kinds contain a higher proportion of correlated properties. In the investigation of short interval semantic priming, results suggested that semantic relatedness can be defined in terms of property overlap between concepts.

No description available.

This study was intended to investigate the interactive effects of intelligence and anxiety on the formation of disjunctive concepts. It was hypothesized that high intelligence, low anxious subjects would form more correct concepts, make fewer errors in the process of forming the concept, and particularly fewer errors of inclusion. The results dictated that all three hypotheses be rejected. Only a small number of subjects arrived at the correct concept, and for this reason it was concluded that the task was too difficult. It was also concluded that because the task appeared to be too difficult, potential significant effects may have been obscured.

No description available.

Two dual task experiments were conducted to determine the function and content of working memory in concept attainment. Levine's (1966) concept attainment paradigm was used as the primary task. The secondary task in each experiment made selective demands on one of two working memory components, either the phonological loop or the central executive. The effect of the secondary tasks on the performance on the Levine task was measured by frequency of hypothesis use, consistency of hypotheses with previous feedback, and strategies employed to manage feedback. These measures revealed that the two working memory components play different roles in concept attainment. The phonological loop is responsible for maintaining hypotheses, while the central executive carries out mental operations that enable the use of hypotheses that are logically consistent with the given feedback. These findings make it possible to provide a detailed account of the role of working memory in concept attainment and yield new insights into the concept attainment process.

Thesis (B.A. Hons. 1972) from the Department of Psychology, University of Adelaide.

Thesis (M.S. in Psychology)--Vanderbilt University, May 2008. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2003. / Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 28, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-92). Also available via the Internet.