Book chapter
Category learning and concept learning in birds
The Making of Human Concepts
Oxford University Press
01/14/2010
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549221.003.08
Abstract
This chapter reviews evidence on the abilities of pigeons to learn a variety of categories. The categories investigated include those based on perceptual similarity, association, and more abstract relations among stimuli. It is shown that if asked in the appropriate way, then birds too can provide convincing evidence of their conceptual abilities that bears sometimes striking similarities to human conceptual abilities. Birds form concepts based on perceptual similarity among their members, classifying objects into basic-level categories and subordinate-level categories. They appear to sense the perceptual structure of their environment, viewing members of basic-level categories (such as humans or trees) as being more similar to one another than to members of other categories. They can sort objects into nonsimilarity-based, superordinate categories, flexibly switching from basic-level categorization to superordinate-level categorization. Even the ability to form abstract concepts based on the relation between or among stimuli is not exclusively human.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Category learning and concept learning in birds
- Creators
- Edward A WassermanOlga F Lazareva
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publication Details
- The Making of Human Concepts
- DOI
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549221.003.08
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press; Oxford
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/14/2010
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984070606602771
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