Activity Type Title

Chapter 1. Chapter

Infographic

Scientific American: Psychology

Infographic Activity 7.1: Concepts and Prototypes

Concepts and Prototypes

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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.

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1.1 Quiz

1. “The rules for how mathematicians define a triangle are fixed and not open to any change.” This is how a mathematics professor started a lecture on geometrical shapes. A statement like this suggests that triangles represent a ________ because they are defined by rigid, precise rules.

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Correct.
Incorrect.

2. Which of the following do you think would be the best prototype of the word “dog” for most people?

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Correct.
Incorrect.

3. If you are asked to think of a ‘table’, you will probably start coming up with specific examples of tables. These might include a kitchen table, a dining room table, and a dressing table. Maybe you will even think of a numerical table, such as a business chart or graph. In this example, what would the midlevel concept be?

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Correct.
Incorrect.

4. Charlene is a real smarty pants! When her husband asks her what she wants to do for dinner, she smiles and says, “eat.” He gives her a look and asks her to be more specific. “Okay, I want to eat food!” Charlene is really treading on thin ice now, but when her husband tells her to try again, she can’t resist. “I want to eat good food,” she laughs. Finally her husband stands up and tells her to stop playing or she can cook dinner herself. “Okay, fine,” Charlene sighs. “Let’s have meatloaf tonight!” In this conversation, Charlene’s selection of meatloaf would represent a(n) ________ concept.

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Correct.
Incorrect.

5. Which of the following terms do you think is the best representation of a natural concept?

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Correct.
Incorrect.