AI Article Synopsis
- Minority generic statements about biological classes, like ducks, are often accepted even when they only apply to a small subset of cases, such as female egg-laying ducks.
- Studies showed that statements focused on one sex or subtype were equally accepted, and gender-related traits were more readily accepted when connected to reproduction rather than appearance.
- The findings suggest that acceptance of these minority generics may be influenced by how well they fit into our basic understanding of biological categories.
Article Abstract
Minority characteristic generic statements such as ducks are judged to be generally true of the class, despite being true of a minority of cases, such as healthy female ducks of egg-laying age. Five studies explored the factors responsible for the acceptance of minority generic statements about biological kinds. Studies 1 and 2 found that minority generic statements about animals that are true of just 1 sex were no more likely to be accepted as true of the class than were statements true of just 1 of 2 subtypes, not differentiated by sex. Further studies showed that gender-specific properties are more often accepted when related to reproduction () than to appearance (). It is proposed that reproductive properties are more easily interpreted as referring to the kinds themselves, on account of their role in naïve biological theories of the kinds. The result supports the view that minority generics are accepted to the degree that they are embedded in naïve theories of a biological kind. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001081 | DOI Listing |
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