ABSTRACT
The question “How do you conceptualize the world?” will undoubtedly elicit a variety of answers. Consider a more specific question: “How do you conceptualize a morel mushroom?” Perhaps an equivalent but clearer form of this question is this: “What is your concept of a morel mushroom?” or “What do you include in your concept of a morel mushroom?” No doubt these questions, too, will prompt distinct answers, but a reasonable hypothesis is that whatever features are mentioned in the answers will be a function of how much one knows about morels, how much experience with morels one has had, and also subjective considerations involving preferences. Thus, Sally the mycologist might conceive of a morel as an epigeous ascocarp; Charles the Provençal chef might conceive of the morel as a delicacy to be sautéed in butter; and Lucy the child might conceive of morels as yucky stuff that she must eat before being allowed dessert. As a result of these different conceptions of morels, we should expect Sally, Charles, and Lucy to behave differently, or to differ in their attitudes, towards morels. For instance, if a morel were placed on a table alongside the cup-shaped disciotis venosa fungus, a truffle, and boiled spinach, and Sally, Charles, and Lucy were instructed to choose the item most like a morel, Sally might choose the disciotis venosa fungus because it is in the same family as the morel and also
has an epigeous ascocarp, Charles might choose the truffle because it too is a delicacy, and Lucy might choose the spinach because, like the morel, it is (in her callow eyes) a yucky obstacle to dessert.
