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Abstract:
Objects can be recognized at different levels of abstraction, eg basic-level (eg flower) and subordinate level (eg rose). The entry level refers to the abstraction level for which object recognition is fastest. For objects, this is typically the basic-level. Is the basic-level also the entry level for the social interaction recognition? We compared basic-level and subordinate recognition of objects and social interactions. Because social interaction abstraction levels are unknown, Experiment 1 determined basic-level and subordinate categories of objects and social interactions in a free grouping and naming experiment. We verified the adequacy of our method to identify abstraction levels by replicating previously reported object abstraction levels. Experiment 2 used the object and social interaction abstraction levels of Experiment 1 to examine the entry levels for social interaction and object recognition by means of recognition speed. Recognition speed was measured (reaction times, accuracy) for each combination of stimulus type and abstraction level separately. Subordinate recognition of social interactions was significantly faster than basic-level recognition while the results were reversed for objects. Because entry levels are associated with faster recognition, the results indicate different entry levels for object and social interaction recognition, namely the basic-level for objects and possibly the subordinate level for social interactions.
