What is a prototype? How are prototypes special (in terms of how we react to them)?

What is a prototype? How are prototypes special (in terms of how we react to them)?

A prototype is a 'typical' member of a category. If we take birds for example we can say that the prototype for the category ''birds'' might be based on some of the birds we usually encounter (sparrows, robins etc) but doesn't look exactly like a particular type of bird. We can then say that a prototype is not an actual member of the category but an ''average'' representation of the category.

While categorizing we decide wheteher an object belongs to a category by simply deciding if it is simillar to a standard representative of the category called a prototype. It is therefore formed by averaging category members we have encountered in the past.

How are prototypes special:
1.Statements About Prototypical Objects Are Verified Rapidly: An apple is a fruit?/ A pomegranate is a fruit?- this is linked with the typicality effect (the ability to judge highly prototypical objects more rapidy; thus th 'apple' question in this case.
2.Prototypical Object Are Named First: If asked to name some birds we would name sparrows before penguins.
3.Prototypical Objects Are Affected More by Priming: When we hear a word green people we imagine highly prototypical ''good'' green.

I will try to tell something new about the protoypes.

A prototype is a "typical" member of a category. Whether the object belongs in a category or not we simple decide if it's similar to the prototype, so whether they share enough common features.

Rosh and Mervis showed, that there was a strong relationship between family resemblance and prototypically, because items on high prototypically had high family resemblance. Thus good examples of category "furnitire" such as chair and sofa share many attributes of the categorys prototype.

Prototypes are special in:
1. Statement about prototypical objecrs are verified rapidly. The ability to judge highly prototypical objects more rapidly is called typicality effect.
2. Prototypical objects are named first. Ex. for "furniture" sofa would be named before mirror.
3. Prototypical objects are affected by priming. When we hear a word green people we imagine highly prototypical ''good'' green.