Tinesha comes into the first session of Introduction to Psychology class and sees a woman wearing blue jeans and a hoodie sitting at the front of class. She does not say anything to her, and assumes that she is just someone sitting in the room. When more students show up and the woman doesn't leave, Tinesha starts to wonder if she is going to cause a problem. When she stands up and says, "Hello everyone, I'm Dr. Lawrence and I will be teaching your psychology class this semester," Tinesha starts to wonder whether this will be a good class. Tinesha's perception of Dr. Lawrence is probably affected by the fact that she does not represent a common _____, or average "image," of a college professor.
A) exemplar
B) schema
C) prototype
D) concept

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tinesha's perception of Dr. Lawrence is likely influenced by the fact that Dr. Lawrence does not fit the common prototype, or average "image," of a college professor. A prototype is a mental image or best example of a category, and in this case, Dr. Lawrence's casual attire does not match the typical formal or semi-formal attire expected of a college professor, which can affect initial perceptions.

Tinesha Comes into the First Session of Introduction to Psychology