This research examined the temporal dynamics of how background knowledge and causal theories influence object categorization. Contrary to some accounts, we found that background knowledge can have a significant impact on object categorization, even when those categorizations are forced to be made extremely quickly.

Luhmann, C., Ahn, W.-K., & Palmeri, T.J. (2006). Theory-based categorization under speeded conditions. Memory & Cognition, 34, 1102-1111.

Luhmann, C.C., Ahn, W.-K., & Palmeri, T.J. (2002). Theories and similarity: Categorization under speeded conditions. Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (peer-reviewed proceedings paper), Chicago, IL.

Palmeri, T.J., & Blalock, C. (2000). The role of background knowledge in speeded perceptual categorization. Cognition, 77, B45-B57.

Palmeri, T.J., & Blalock, C. (1999). The time-course of the use of background knowledge in perceptual categorization. Proceedings of the Twenty-First Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (peer-reviewed proceedings paper), Edinburgh, Scotland.