Linguistic Convergence in Verbs for Belief-forming Processes

Summary, in English

This paper has two goals. First, it aims to investigate the empirical assumptions of a recent proposal due to Olsson (forthcoming), according to which the generality problem for process-reliabilism can be approached by recruiting patterns and models from the basic-level research in cognitive psychology. Second, the paper attempts to generalize findings in the basic-level literature pertaining to concrete nouns to the abstract verbs that denote belief-forming processes. I will demonstrate that verbs for belief-forming processes exhibit the kind of linguistic convergence that is characteristic of basic-level words, although these words are not neatly taxonomically organized or associated with large feature sets. Next, I will evaluate and partially validate Olsson's proposal in light of these findings. I will provide some discussion of possible explanations of the results are discussed, as well as the impact these results have for structural models of basic-level advantage, and for the feasibility of the explanatory strategy that these models presuppose. Finally, I will conclude that even though no particular model is compromised by these results, they call into question the underlying explanatory strategy by highlighting its parochial nature.

• Author: Martin Jönsson
• Department/s: Lund University Information Quality Research Group (LUIQ); Theoretical Philosophy
• Publishing year: 2015
• Language: English
• Pages: 114-138
• Publication/Series: Philosophical Psychology
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 1-2
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2013.818749
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Topic: Philosophy
• Keywords: Basic-Level Categories; Mental Terms; Reliabilism
• Status: Published
• Project: Knowledge and reliability: a systematic study of reliabilism
• Research group: Lund University Information Quality Research Group (LUIQ)
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1465-394X