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Can you identify what a "concept" is? Uncover the mysteries of psychology!
Concept learning, that is, category learning, concept acquisition or concept formation, is a basic ability of human cognition. According to Bruner et al., concept learning is “finding and testing properties that can be used to distinguish examples from non-examples of various categories”. Simply put, a concept is a mental category that helps us categorize objects, events, or ideas, based on our understanding of common, relevant characteristics of each individual. These common characteristics make the boundary between concrete objects and abstract ideas clear.
Concept learning is a strategy that requires learners to compare and contrast groups or categories that contain concept-related characteristics.
The process of concept acquisition typically relies on five categories: the definition of the task, the nature of the examples encountered, the nature of the verification procedure, the results of a specific classification, and the constraints imposed. When performing a concept learning task, humans classify by looking at a set of example objects and their category labels. Learners simplify what they observe and condense it in the form of examples. This simplified version of the content will then be applied to future examples as learning progresses.
Concept learning can be simple or complex because the learning process involves many areas. If a concept is difficult, it will not be easy for learners to simplify and therefore it will not be easy to learn. In general, the task of concept learning can be called learning from examples.
Most concept learning theories are based on the storage of examples and avoid any form of summary or explicit abstraction.
In machine learning, this learning theory is also used to train computer programs. The process of concept learning requires inferring Boolean functions from training examples. Every concept has two components: attributes and rules. Attributes are characteristics that determine whether a data instance belongs to the concept, and rules represent which attribute combinations will conform to the positive instances of the concept.
Types of concepts
Conceptual learning must be distinguished from recalling through memory or discerning something different between the two. Although these issues are closely related to each other, since memory recall of facts can be considered a "trivial" conceptual process, the process of learning is closely related to the definition of the concept.
Concrete concepts and abstract concepts
Representational concepts are objects that can be perceived through one's senses and cognition, such as a chair or a dog. The concepts become more concrete as the words used are related to tangible entities. However, abstract concepts involve emotions, personality traits, events, etc. Words like "fantasy" or "cold" are more conceptually abstract, and their definitions vary depending on personal experience.
Concrete concepts are generally easier to remember than abstract concepts because they are directly related to previous personal interactions.
The learning of abstract concepts usually involves topics such as emotions and ethics, and the understanding of these concepts depends on the rules and background of situational development. For example, when understanding the concept of cold, it may refer to the physical temperature of the surrounding environment or to a description of someone's behavior and personality.
Concept acquisition and planned development
In education and learning, concept-based acquisition is an active learning method. Therefore, relevant learning plans, methods and goals can be developed according to specific goals. Additionally, gaining a deeper understanding of a concept can be facilitated by asking questions such as: What are the key properties of this concept? What is the purpose of this concept? What are some concrete examples of the concept?
Because concept learning can be affected by biases, many studies historically have also explored how the functions of concepts affect the learning process, focusing on external functions. When reading these articles and studies, it is particularly important to identify and quality-assess potential biases.
Modern psychological theory
It is currently impossible to make general statements about concept learning in humans (or animals) because the diversity of psychological theories makes the view of concept learning extremely complex. Many theories, from behavioral psychology to cognitive psychology, have waxed and waned throughout history, but the understanding of how concept learning occurs has also evolved.
For example, the emergence of neural network models breaks the traditional way of organizing concepts and allows us to explore more deeply the knowledge structure.
As science advances, we come to understand that whether we use rule-based learning methods, prototype theory, or exemplification theory, these are just different ways of trying to understand concepts in a larger context. Each method captures some aspects of the learning process, but each has its limitations.
As machine learning and behavioral science further develop, how will future research change our understanding of human concept learning?
