Nonlinear Sciences – Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Scientific paper
2008-03-18
Ecological Psychology, 20(1), 84-116
Nonlinear Sciences
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Scientific paper
10.1080/10407410701766676
Psychology has had difficulty accounting for the creative, context-sensitive manner in which concepts are used. We believe this stems from the view of concepts as identifiers rather than bridges between mind and world that participate in the generation of meaning. This paper summarizes the history and current status of concepts research, and provides a non-technical summary of work toward an ecological approach to concepts. We outline the rationale for applying generalizations of formalisms originally developed for use in quantum mechanics to the modeling of concepts, showing how it is because of the role of context that deep structural similarities exist between the two. A concept is defined not just in terms of exemplary states and their features or properties, but also by the relational structures of these properties, and their susceptibility to change under different contexts. The approach implies a view of mind in which the union of perception and environment drives conceptualization, forging a web of conceptual relations or 'ecology of mind'.
Aerts Diederik
Gabora Liane
Rosch Eleanor
No associations
LandOfFree
Toward an Ecological Theory of Concepts does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Toward an Ecological Theory of Concepts, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Toward an Ecological Theory of Concepts will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-637677