Tanaka and Taylor (1991) assembled a group of birdwatchers and dog experts and presented them with line drawings of birds and dogs embedded with distractors, and participants were asked to name the object in the picture as quickly and accurately as possible. Birdwatchers used the subordinate category name on ________.
A) 99 per cent of the time when naming dogs, and dog experts used the subordinate category name 85 per cent of the time when naming birds
B) 99 per cent of the time when naming dogs, and dog experts used the subordinate category name 85 per cent of the time when naming birds, but only if distractors were congruent with the main item
C) 74 per cent of trials showing birds and dog experts used the subordinate category on 40 per cent of trials showing dogs, but only if distractors were congruent with the main item
D) 74 per cent of trials showing birds and dog experts used the subordinate category on 40 per cent of trials showing dogs

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tanaka and Taylor's study found that expertise influences object recognition, with birdwatchers and dog experts more likely to use specific, subordinate category names for objects within their area of expertise. Birdwatchers named birds using subordinate terms 74% of the time, while dog experts did so for dogs 40% of the time, demonstrating the impact of expertise on categorization and naming.

Tanaka and Taylor (1991) Assembled a Group of Birdwatchers and Dog