Anchor concept: A conceptual model with an expandable boundary

The existing conceptual modeling theories show the deficiencies in the research concerning the structure and formation mechanism of the concept. The deficiencies include two aspects, namely, the weak capability for treating the extension variability of the concept induced by the failure in defining the expandable boundary of the structure and the weak capability for handling the contradictory information caused by the utilization of the deterministic parameters or classical logic. In this paper, the “anchor concept” formal model is constructed based on the “prototype” and “family resemblance” principles in the prototype category theory. The modeling idea was explained as follows: a semantic boundary of the anchor concept is first constructed, the expansion of the boundary concludes as the interactions of “characteristic granules”. The interference mechanism in the formation process of the concept is then studied to solve the divergence induced by contradictory information. The results obtained provide a theoretical basis and a reference for further exploring the dynamic construction of the conceptual system with contradictory information.