Infographic 7.1: Concepts and Prototypes

The introduction reads as follows: Concepts are used to organize information in a manner that helps us understand things even when we are encountering them for the first time. Formal concepts, like “circle,” allow us to categorize objects and ideas in a very precise way— something either meets the criteria to be included in that category, or it doesn’t. Natural concepts develop as a result of our everyday encounters, and vary according to our culture and individual experiences. We tend to use prototypes, ideal representations with features we associate most with a category, to identify natural concepts. At the upper right are two panels. The first is labeled “Formal concept: Defined by rigid, precise rules.” The graphic shows a circle with an arrow pointing from the center to the edge of the circle. The callout reads, “A circle is a two-dimensional shape in which all points are the same distance from its center.” The second panel is labeled, “Natural concept: Defined by general characteristics established through everyday encounters.” The graphic shows a sofa, with a caption reading, “A couch is a large piece of furniture used for sitting.” The center of the graphic shows three bands, with a callout leading to the headings reading, “Concepts can be organized into hierarchies.” The bands and descriptions follow:

• Top row – furniture, labeled “superordinate level.”
• Middle row – two labels reading “couch” and “bed,” labeled “midlevel (basic).”
• Bottom row – three arrows extend downward from the “couch” label to three examples of sofas. Three arrows extend downward from the “bed” label to three examples of beds, including a four-poster bed, an Indian charpai, and a simple bed with a mattress and wooden frame. A callout to the charpai reads, “Did you think of this? Maybe not. But if you’re from India, the traditional charpai may be your prototype—the first image that comes to mind when someone says “bed.” What comes to mind when you think of the concept “fruit”? Researchers studying the development of categories organized a group of items from the most prototypical to the least prototypical (Rosch & Mervis, 1975). How long would it take you to think of an olive?”

At the bottom of the graphic are pictures of different types of fruit. From left to right the images include:

• orange
• apple
• banana
• strawberry
• pineapple
• lemon
• date
• coconut
• tomato
• olive

A callout to the orange reads, “most prototypical.” A callout to the olive reads, “least prototypical.”