Category-variability effect on category learning

• Main Authors: Wu, Yueh Hsun, 吳岳勳
• Other Authors: Yang, Lee Xieng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/85436162205428322187

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 心理學研究所 === 101 === There has been an important question about the effect of category variability on category learning. The similarity-based and rule-based theory predict how the critical item laid right in the middle between low-variability and high- variability category in two contrary ways. Rips(1989) used the natural category to examine the similarity judgment and classification on the same target. Result showed that people made a total contrast decision, while the target is much similar to low-variability stimulus and classified into high-variability category. The similarity judgment followed the prediction of similarity-based theory, but the classification followed the rule-based theory. Past studies on category-variability effect hasn’t generated consistent result. This study examine how category effect is caused whether the variance difference between categories could be aware. Result show both the cue of category variance is told or not didn’t made people prefer the high-variability category, while the variance difference is increased can caused the category-variability effect, especially when the low-variability category is limited on a smaller variance. It show that whether people are aware of variance difference is an important factor can cause category-variability effect. In addition, it can explain the inconsistent result from past studies with different variability setting in each studies.