Let’s suppose you see 10 Quarter Horses and 10 Thoroughbreds scattered around together in a pasture. Even if you are not familiar with these breeds, your brain will automatically sort the horses according to their physical features.

operate on the basis of categorical perception---the natural tendency to organize sights and sounds into meaningful groups.

Let’s suppose you see 10 Quarter Horses and 10 Thoroughbreds scattered around together in a pasture. Even if you are not familiar with these breeds, your brain will automatically sort the horses according to their physical features. The tall lean endurance athletes will go into one group, and the ripped little muscle guys will go into the other group. Your brain is categorizing the horses without your awareness or approval.

Categorical perception represents similarity across members of a group more easily than differences among individuals within that group. The