Question

The results of the study conducted by Rips (1973) on the reaction time to categorize a penguin or a robin as birds can be explained by both prototype and exemplar theories. Which of the following statements is accurate?

A). According to exemplar theory, it should take longer to classify a robin as a bird because the average representation of the category 'bird' is likely closer to a robin than a penguin.

B). According to prototype theory, it should take longer to classify a robin as a bird because the average representation of the category 'bird' is likely closer to a robin than a penguin.

C). According to prototype theory, a robin should be matched to existing experiences of birds more quickly than penguin because there are likely many more robin exemplars.

D). According to exemplar theory, a robin should be matched to existing experiences of birds more quickly than penguin because there are likely many more robin exemplars.

Answer 1

According to prototype theory, a robin should be matched to existing experiences of birds more quickly than a penguin because there are likely many more robin exemplars.

Step-by-step explanation:

The accurate statement in this case is option C. According to prototype theory, a robin should be matched to existing experiences of birds more quickly than a penguin because there are likely many more robin exemplars. Prototype theory suggests that people categorize objects based on their similarity to a prototype, which is the average representation of a category. In this case, since there are likely more robin exemplars, it would be easier and faster to match a robin to the category 'bird' compared to a penguin.