Stimulus generalization in category learning

Stimulus generalization is often regarded as a fundamental component of category learning, yet it has not been directly studied in this context. Here we develop a technique for measuring generalization based on sequential effects in subjects ’ responses. We find that patterns of generalization can adapt to global properties of the task, but only when the category structure is defined by perceptually primitive and separable dimensions. Implications are discussed for attentional learning and the nature of both perceptual an