family resemblance concepts in psychology

Family resemblance in psychology refers to the way members of a category share overlapping features, but not all have identical traits. Instead of defining a category by strict criteria, it's based on a set of common characteristics that tend to occur together within a family or group, creating a network of similarities. For example, different breeds of dogs may look quite different, but they share certain features like fur, four legs, and a tail. This concept helps explain how we recognize and categorize complex groups by their overlapping traits rather than a single defining feature.