CONCEPT FORMATION

Definitions of Concept:

1. Concept is a process of representing a common property of objects or events – Morgan.

2. Concept is a process with represents the similarities in otherwise diverse objects, situations or events – Munn.

3. Concepts are those thoughts which mention things, incidents, qualities, etc. – Woodworth.

4.  Concept is the process of discrimination of the common features and relations in the world of events, things and persons – Hammerton.

5. Concepts are patterns or mental categories which enables us to interpret the object of our thought whether perceptual or imaginative – Ross

Meaning of Concept:

1. A concept is the sum total of what we know about the object. It refers to a generalized idea about the objects / persons /events. It stands for a general class and not for a particular object / person/event. It is a common name given on the basis of similarities or commonness found in different objects / persons / events. There are concepts of objects such as cat, tree, chair etc., concepts of persons such as mother, Indian, Negro etc., and concepts of qualities such as honesty, goodness, obedience.

2. It is a mental disposition that helps in understanding the meaning of the objects or perceived earlier.

3. In one sense, it is general mental image of the objects / persons /events experienced or perceived earlier.

Nature of Concept:

1. A concept is not static, it is always changing. For example first a child considers even the walls and doors to be living things. Then it understands they are nonliving, considers cars, buses and running objects to be alive. Later, it learns that only animals and plants are living.

2. The concept is not common for all, different persons may have different concept about the same object / events.

3. Concept is a part of thought process.

4. Concept can be formed without the use of language.

5. Concert formation is the association of certain stimuli and responses. 

6. Concept is the process of discrimination of the common features.

7. Concepts are very useful in recognizing, naming and identifying the objects / persons / events.

Types of Concept Formation:

1. Direct Experience: It is the first type of concept formation, in which the learner develops concept through direct experience with the particular objects / persons / events. It is developed during from the early childhood onwards. For example, the concept about cow.

2. Indirect Experience: Here the learner develops concept through pictures, photos and reading descriptions, hearing from other.  For example, the concept about Kangaroo.

3. Faulty Concepts: The concepts or the general ideas we have about the objects, persons or events, are not always adequate and accurate. Small children have so many concepts that are quite erroneous and inadequate. For example, one’s anxiety over the crossing of his way by a cat or one’s feeling of hatred towards the person belonging to other caste or religion is the result of faulty concepts. Faulty concepts should not be allowed to develop in children.  

Process in Concept Formation:

The process of concept formation has three important phases.

1. Perception: Experiences or learning in any form is the starting point of the process of concept formation. Our perceptions or imaginary experiences, formal or informal learning, provide opportunities for getting mental images of the objects, persons or events.

2. Abstraction: The mind analyses the perceived images and synthesizes what is common to all, neglecting what is particular. This process of observing similarities and commonness is named as abstraction.

3. Generalization: After making such observation in the form of abstraction for a numbers of times the child is able to generalize or form a general idea about the common properties of some objects or events. On account of this generalization, he will develop a concept about these things or events.

For example, the child perceives a black cow at the first time and is told that it is a cow, he tries to form an idea about it. In the beginning the idea is very particular in nature. Later on, when he perceives a white or red cow he does not at once, call it a cow. He again makes an enquiry and comes to that these are cows. He tries to compare the particular mental image the idea of the previously perceived cow with the images he is having, at present, by perceiving white and red cows. In this way he compares and contrasts the similarities or dissimilarities of his mental images related to all perceived cows. In spite of the differences in colour, appearance etc., they are found to possess so many common properties or characteristics.   

Levels of Concept Formation

Herbert J. Klausmeier (1974) identified four successive higher stages in concept formation.

1. 1.      Concrete level: Concept attainment at concrete level means that individual recognizes an object previously encountered. In order to attain this individual has to attend to the distinct features of an object from a mental image of it and remembering the attributes. For example child recognizes a pen.

2. 2.      Identity level: Concept attainment at identity level means that individual recognize an object viewed from a different perspective or sensed in a different modality. For example, the child recognizes the sound of school bell which he originally saw in school.

3. 3.      Classificatory level: This level of concept formation is attained when individual is able to treat at least two different instances of the same class as equivalent even though he may not be able to describe the basis for his response. For example a young child treats a toy-dog and an actual dog as dogs.

4. 4.      Formal level: At this level concept is attained when the individual can define both the names and attributes of the concept. For example when presented with examples of both mammals and reptiles the child identify the reptile, calls them by name define a reptile’s attributes and explain how it differ from mammals.

in short concept is formed as a result of a series of process.