The Big Book of Concepts

Murphy's well-written Big Book of Concepts provides a much-needed overview of the rapidly developing field of concept learning and use. This book should be read by anyone who wants to understand the theories and empirical studies that will provide the foundation for new research for decades to come.

Arthur B. Markman, Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin

The study of concepts has flourished in recent years, and Murphy has been one of the leading figures behind several changes in how we view concepts, their mental representation, and their use. The Big Book of Concepts offer a superb discussion of recent research from a wide variety of perspectives. This book is essential reading not only for those interested in concepts direculy but also for those interested in cognitive development, word meaning, and many other related areas of cognitive science.

Frank C. Keil, Professor, Department of Psychology, Yale University

This book is a landmark achievement in the cognitive science of human concepts. It beautifully integrates experimental data and theories to arrive at a rich account of how concepts are learned, represented, interrelated, used, combined, and changed.

Robert Goldstone, Professor of Psychology, Program in Cognitive Science, Indiana University

This is going to be the classic text in the field for a very long time.

Nature

We've needed a book like this for the past decade. The Big Book of Concepts is beautifully done in so many ways and a true service to the field. Murphy's ambitious and integrated review is unusually thorough, thoughtful, and fair in its coverage of the diverse literatures on concepts. Graduate students will remember this volume the rest of their careers for what it taught them, and seasoned researchers will use it as the authoritative source to fill holes in their knowledge.

Lawrence W. Barsalou, Department of Psychology, Emory University