ERIC Number: EJ785762
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jan
Pages: 47
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0364-0213
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Available Date: N/A
A Rational Analysis of Rule-Based Concept Learning
Goodman, Noah D.; Tenenbaum, Joshua B.; Feldman, Jacob; Griffiths, Thomas L.
Cognitive Science, v32 n1 p108-154 Jan 2008
This article proposes a new model of human concept learning that provides a rational analysis of learning feature-based concepts. This model is built upon Bayesian inference for a grammatically structured hypothesis space--a concept language of logical rules. This article compares the model predictions to human generalization judgments in several well-known category learning experiments, and finds good agreement for both average and individual participant generalizations. This article further investigates judgments for a broad set of 7-feature concepts--a more natural setting in several ways--and again finds that the model explains human performance. (Contains 7 tables, 14 figures and 10 notes.)
Descriptors: Mathematics Education, Concept Formation, Models, Prediction, Learning, Learning Processes, Cognitive Psychology, Grammar, Mathematical Logic, Mathematical Formulas, Experiments, Bayesian Statistics
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A