Frequent alternation of categories yields more interrelated concepts than infrequent alternation, as indicated by a diagnosticity-by-alternation interaction¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causalr1–r2·q3
Currency · newest study 1996 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Diagnostic features influenced accuracy more for frequently alternated than infrequently alternated categories. → Goldstone 1996
q3 i? Subjects who received infrequently alternating categories drew significantly more nondiagnostic features as part of their concept representations. → Goldstone 1996 (2)
Evidence¶
Goldstone 1996¶
Goldstone, R. L. (1996). Isolated and interrelated concepts. Memory & Cognition, 24 (5), 608-628. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03201087
q3 · i? · causal · r2
Experiment 2: 26 Indiana University undergraduates categorized distortions of two prototypes with no strategy instructions; half saw categories alternate frequently (same-category probability .25), half rarely (.75). Frequent alternation produced the interrelated pattern of slopes.
"There is a significant three-way interaction between diagnosticity, number of features altered, and alternation frequency [F(4,96) = 3.2, MSe = 0.31, P < .05]."
Goldstone 1996 (2)¶
Goldstone, R. L. (1996). Isolated and interrelated concepts. Memory & Cognition, 24 (5), 608-628. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03201087
q3 · i? · causal · r1
Drawing measure in Experiment 2: infrequent-alternation subjects drew 8.5 correct nondiagnostic lines versus 7.3 for the frequent-alternation group, converging with the accuracy results from the same categorization task.
"results indicate that significantly more nondiagnostic features were drawn as part ofa concept's representation when categories were infrequently alternated [F(1,24) = 5.58, MSe = 1.2, p < .05]."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Categorization accuracy was significantly higher for infrequently alternated categories than for frequently alternated categories — related
- Concepts become more interrelated with practice under discriminate instructions, and more isolated with practice under image instructions — related
- Whether a prototype or caricature is categorized more easily is predicted to depend on concept interrelatedness: prototype advantage for isolated, caricature advantage for interrelated concepts — related
- Imagery instructions yield more isolated concepts than discriminating-feature instructions, as shown by greater influence of nondiagnostic features on categorization accuracy — related
- Inserting trivia questions between interleaved exemplars impairs inductive learning when it disrupts juxtaposition of categories, with total spacing held constant — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
frequent-category-alternation-interrelated-concepts |
title |
Frequent alternation of categories yields more interrelated concepts than infrequent alternation, as indicated by a diagnosticity-by-alternation interaction |
description |
Frequent alternation of categories yields more interrelated concepts than infrequent alternation, as indicated by a diagnosticity-by-alternation interaction |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
1996 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-16 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — goldstone-1996, goldstone-1996-2 |
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