The prototype approach suggests that a concept is classified as a member of a category if
A) the super-ordinate critical feature is matched.
B) it matches your overall emotional evaluation of the concept.
C) it is similar to an ideal or most representative example of the category.
D) storing the concept as a member of the category minimizes the time and effort required to process information.
E) the concept exactly matches with the dictionary definition of the category.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The prototype approach suggests that we classify a concept as a member of a category based on how similar it is to the ideal or most representative example of that category. This means that we compare the concept to our mental representation of what the category should look like, and if it matches closely enough, we classify it as a member of that category. This process is called prototype matching. The other options are not correct because matching a critical super-ordinate feature (A), relying on overall emotional evaluation (B), or exactly matching a dictionary definition (E) are not primary criteria for category membership in the prototype approach. Similarly, while minimizing processing efforts (D) is a consideration in cognitive processing, it is not the main mechanism by which we classify concepts as members of categories in this approach.

The Prototype Approach Suggests That a Concept Is Classified as a Member