PSYC2071 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Zipper
Perceptual and Conceptual Foundations for Similarity
William James: ‘This sense of sameness is the very keel and backbone of our thinking
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Shared perceptual features produce a sense of likeness but we can set aside superfici
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Similarity is not a purely perceptual phenomenon
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We have a sense of similarity driven purely by conceptual connections
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Similarity can do perceptual and conceptual work at the same time
For example; DNA and a blueprint
DNA has a physical similarity to a zipper, which the visual system detects
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The genetic information in DNA is like a blueprint, which is a conceptual r
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Similarity Helps us Form Categories and Make Generalisations
The Snowflake Problem
No two people are the same
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No two events are the same
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No two objects are the same
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Nothing is the same as anything else- but things are similar?
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Our "sense of similarity" is actually a pretty flexible
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Because everything is unique, you will never encounter a situation in life where your p
there to help us make these guesses
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How Do We Measure Similarity?
Confusability: Probability of mistaking A for B
A mistaken identity is a ‘confusion’ and occurs for more similar items
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Reaction Time: Time taken to distinguish A from B
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Forced Choice: is X more like A or more like B?
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Likert Scales: how similar is A to B?
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Different methods produce subtly different data, but these are all reasonably effectiv
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Simple Theories of Similarity: Geometric Models
Distant things are dissimilar but nearby things are similar
We have a ‘psychological space’ with similar objects placed nearby
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Similarity helps us generalise from one stimulus to another
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Lecture 14- Similarity
Tuesday, 24 July 2018
2:32 pm
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rficial differences to see a structural similarity
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al relationship
our previous experience tells you exactly what you need to know. We're always guessing. Similarity is
ctive ways of eliciting similarity data
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Document Summary
William james: this sense of sameness is the very keel and backbone of our thinking. Shared perceptual features produce a sense of likeness but we can set aside superfici. We have a sense of similarity driven purely by conceptual connections. Similarity can do perceptual and conceptual work at the same time. Dna has a physical similarity to a zipper, which the visual system detects. The genetic information in dna is like a blueprint, which is a conceptual r. Similarity helps us form categories and make generalisations. Our "sense of similarity" is actually a pretty flexible. Because everything is unique, you will never encounter a situation in life where your p there to help us make these guesses. A mistaken identity is a confusion" and occurs for more similar items. Reaction time: time taken to distinguish a from b. Different methods produce subtly different data, but these are all reasonably effectiv. Distant things are dissimilar but nearby things are similar.
