{"pk":50395,"title":"Examining Individual Differences in Within-Category Variability Reasoning","subtitle":null,"abstract":"Cognitive developmental research suggests that people exhibit essentialist biases when reasoning about categories, leading them to underestimate within-category variability. However, prior accounts have been limited by small datasets per participant and a reliance on cohort-level analyses. We developed a Markov Chain Monte Carlo with People (MCMCp) task using ladybeetles as a model species. In the task, participants select the best version of a ladybeetle, and complete surveys assessing their biology knowledge and essentialist reasoning. We conducted individual-level analyses, focusing on hue—the feature participants reported using most to guide their MCMCp decision-making. Preliminary findings reveal variation in adult and children's category variability reasoning, with some participants accepting greater diversity in ladybeetle hue, while others showed more constrained, essentialist-like responses. We discuss these findings in relation to biology knowledge and essentialist reasoning, highlighting the importance of individual-level analyses in revealing factors that shape complex category reasoning and perceptions of within-category variability.","language":"eng","license":{"name":"","short_name":"","text":null,"url":""},"keywords":[{"word":"Psychology; Concepts and categories; Development; Qualitative Analysis"}],"section":"Member Abstracts with Poster Presentation","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w89760m","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Olympia N.","middle_name":"","last_name":"Mathiaparanam","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Rochester","department":""},{"first_name":"Pablo","middle_name":"","last_name":"Leon Villagra","name_suffix":"","institution":"Brown University","department":""},{"first_name":"Daphna","middle_name":"","last_name":"Buchsbaum","name_suffix":"","institution":"Brown University","department":""},{"first_name":"Karl","middle_name":"","last_name":"Rosengren","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Rochester","department":""}],"date_submitted":null,"date_accepted":null,"date_published":"2025-01-01T18:00:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/cognitivesciencesociety/article/50395/galley/38357/download/"}]}