Natural Object Categorization.
Abstract
This thesis addresses the problem of categorizing natural objects. To provide a criteria for categorization we propose that the purpose of a categorization is to support the inference of unobserved properties of objects from the observed properties. Because no such set of categories can be constructed in an arbitrary world, we present the Principle of Natural Modes as a claim about the structure of the world. We first define an evaluation function that measures how well a set of categories supports the inference goals of the observer. Entropy measures for property uncertainty and category uncertainty are combined through a free parameter that reflects the goals of the observer. Natural categorizations are shown to be those that are stable with respect to this free parameter. We next develop a categorization paradigm that utilizes the categorization evaluation function in recovering natural categories. A statistical hypothesis generation algorithm is presented that is shown to be an effective categorization procedure. Finally, a method is presented for evaluating the utility of features in recovering natural categories. This method also provides a mechanism for determining which features are constrained by the different processes present in a multiple modal world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA194103
Entities
People
- Aaron F. Bobick
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology