Question

In terms of prototype theory, for most people, categories such as "Bartlett pear" or "miniature poodle" are:

a) High-typicality categories.
b) Low-typicality categories.
c) Exemplar categories.
d) Irrelevant categories.

Answer 1

The categories 'Bartlett pear' and 'miniature poodle' are considered low-typicality categories, as common examples like 'apple' for fruit or 'Golden Retriever' for dogs are more likely to be prototypes for most people.

Step-by-step explanation:

In terms of prototype theory, the categories "Bartlett pear" or "miniature poodle" are likely to be low-typicality categories for most people. This is because when thinking of the category of "fruit," a common fruit like "apple" might come to mind before "Bartlett pear," and similarly, when thinking of "dog," a more common breed such as "Golden Retriever" might be the first example one thinks of rather than "miniature poodle."

Prototype theory posits that certain members (prototypes) of a category are more representative than others, and thus, they come to mind more quickly when the category is considered.