To form the concept of "vehicles," what must an individual be able to do?

To form the concept of "vehicles," an individual must be able to both discriminate vehicles from nonvehicles and generalize across all motorized methods of transporting people. Discrimination allows the individual to recognize and differentiate between vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles, and nonvehicles, such as bicycles or pedestrians. This foundational understanding is critical for categorizing objects accurately.

Generalization is equally important because it extends the understanding of vehicles beyond specific examples to encompass various types and forms of transportation that share common characteristics. For instance, recognizing that a bus, a motorcycle, and a spaceship are all vehicles despite their differences in shape, function, and use demonstrates an ability to generalize the concept of what constitutes a vehicle.

This combination of both discrimination and generalization ensures a comprehensive understanding of the category involved, allowing for critical cognitive skills necessary in categorization and conceptualization. Therefore, recognizing the interplay of these two cognitive abilities is essential for forming a robust concept of "vehicles."