A neural network model of the effect of prior experience with regularities on subsequent category learning
Categories are often structured by the similarities of instances within the category. A popular dual systems theory of category learning argues that the structure of exemplars forming categories determines the mechanisms that drive learning. Category distributions are necessarily defined by dimensions or features. Researchers typically assume that there is a direct, linear relationship between the physical input dimensions across which category exemplars are defined and the psychological representation of these dimensions, but this assumption is not always warranted. Through a set of simulations, we demonstrate that the psychological representations of input dimensions developed through prior experience can place drastic constraints on category learning. We compare the model’s behavior to auditory, visual, and cross-modal human category learning and make conclusions regarding the nature of the psychological representations of the dimensions in those studies. These simulations support the conclusion that the nature of psychological representations is a critical aspect to understanding the mechanisms underlying category learning.