Heterogeneous Proxytypes Extended: Integrating Theory-like Representations and Mechanisms with Prototypes and Exemplars

TL;DR

This paper proposes a unified framework for conceptual representations in cognitive agents, integrating heterogeneous proxytypes with theories of typicality, and introduces a new categorization algorithm called DELTA.

Contribution

It details how to reconcile different theories of typicality within a heterogeneous representational perspective and presents the DELTA algorithm for categorization.

Findings

Reconciliation of theory-theory with prototype and exemplar models.

Introduction of the DELTA categorization algorithm.

A novel hypothesis on heterogeneous conceptual representations.

Abstract

The paper introduces an extension of the proposal according to which conceptual representations in cognitive agents should be intended as heterogeneous proxytypes. The main contribution of this paper is in that it details how to reconcile, under a heterogeneous representational perspective, different theories of typicality about conceptual representation and reasoning. In particular, it provides a novel theoretical hypothesis - as well as a novel categorization algorithm called DELTA - showing how to integrate the representational and reasoning assumptions of the theory-theory of concepts with the those ascribed to the prototype and exemplars-based theories.