title: The empirical case for role-governed categories.
abstract: Most theories of categorization posit feature-based representations. Markman and Stilwell (2001) argued that many natural categories name roles in relational systems and therefore they are role-governed categories. There is little extant empirical evidence to support the existence of role-governed categories. Three experiments examine predictions for ways that role-governed categories should differ from feature-based categories. Experiment 1 shows that our knowledge of role-governed categories, in contrast to feature-based categories, is largely about properties extrinsic to category members. Experiment 2 shows that role-governed categories have more prominent ideals than feature-based categories. Experiment 3 demonstrates that novel role-governed categories are licensed by the instantiation of novel relational structures. We then discuss broader implications for the study of categories and concepts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road - 102 Swift Hall, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, United States. micahbg@gmail.com
authors.forename: Micah B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Goldwater
authors.forename: Arthur B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Markman
authors.forename: C Hunt
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Stilwell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D011578:Psycholinguistics / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult