Thinking and Problem Solving: Learn It 2—Natural and Artificial Concepts

Natural and Artificial Concepts

In psychology, concepts can be divided into two categories, natural and artificial.

natural concepts

Natural concepts are concepts we form through experience—either direct (hands-on) or indirect (through media, conversations, or stories).

For example, consider the concept of snow:

  • If you grew up in Essex Junction, Vermont, you have direct experience: watching snow fall, shoveling it, sledding, or packing perfect snowballs.
  • If you grew up on Saint Vincent in the Caribbean, you may have never touched snow. Instead, your concept develops from indirect experience: pictures, movies, books, or descriptions from others.

In both cases, you can build a concept of snow, but the richness and detail of the concept depend on your personal experience.

Natural concepts are “fuzzy.” They do not have strict boundaries, and individuals may form slightly different versions based on their own backgrounds and cultures.

Photograph A shows a snow covered landscape with the sun shining over it. Photograph B shows a sphere shaped object perched atop the corner of a cube shaped object. There is also a triangular object shown.
Figure 1. (a) Our concept of snow is an example of a natural concept—one that we understand through direct observation and experience. (b) In contrast, artificial concepts are ones that we know by a specific set of characteristics that they always exhibit, such as what defines different basic shapes. (credit a: modification of work by Maarten Takens; credit b: modification of work by “Shayan (USA)”/Flickr)

artificial concept

Artificial concepts are defined by a specific set of rules or features. They have clear boundaries and consistent characteristics 

Examples of artificial concepts include:

  • Geometric shapes:
    • A triangle always has three sides.
    • A square always has four equal sides and four right angles.
  • Mathematical formulas:
    • The concept of area (length × width) applies only when certain conditions are met.
  • Legal and scientific definitions:
    • Citizenship, chemical classifications, diagnostic criteria—all rely on agreed-upon rules.

Because artificial concepts have rigid structures, they are especially useful for teaching, communication, and advanced thinking. Artificial concepts often build on one another:

  1. You must first understand what a square is.
  2. Then you can learn the area of a square.
  3. With that foundation, you can learn to calculate the area of other shapes.

As Goldstone and Kersten (2003) explain, concepts act as building blocks, combining in countless ways to support complex reasoning and problem-solving.