Final answer:
A concept is a mental category that groups objects or information based on shared features. It allows for efficient organization and retrieval of information in our minds, aiding in understanding and application of complex and abstract ideas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best definition of a concept from the given options is a mental category used to group objects according to shared features. In cognitive psychology, a concept is a category or grouping of linguistic information, images, ideas, or memories that help us organize and access information efficiently. These groupings emerge from life experiences and our observations of details, which our brains categorize and combine into cognitive structures. As we encounter new information, concepts help us quickly sort and interpret this information as part of our semantic memory, which plays a role in how we think, perceive, plan, analyze, and remember.
Concepts can be either natural, derived from direct observation and experience, such as the concept of snow, or artificial, which are defined by a specific set of characteristics, like the mathematical properties that define geometric shapes. In an educational context, concepts allow for a deeper understanding beyond individual facts or events, enabling the integration of complex ideas like democracy, power, and freedom in a subject like United States history.