Cognitive Economy
The use of mental categories or shortcuts to gain useful information while conserving limited attention and effort.
Context
In Eleanor Rosch’s account of categorization, categories help people retain useful distinctions while reducing the need to process every individual difference.
Calling an object a chair can quickly suggest how to use it, even when its shape is unfamiliar. The level of detail needed depends on the task.
Examples
- At a glance, a person sorts several unfamiliar objects into “chairs” and “tables” before deciding where to sit.