In cognitive psychology, in which of the following ways are exemplars and prototypes different?

• A. Exemplars represent the most typical member of a category, while prototypes represent all possible members.
• B. Prototypes are used only for unfamiliar categories, while exemplars are used for familiar ones.
• C. Exemplars are always more accurate than prototypes in categorization tasks.
• D. Exemplars are specific instances stored in memory, while prototypes are abstract averages of a category.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of 'exemplars' in cognitive psychology. Exemplars are specific, individual instances or examples of a category that are stored in memory. For example, when thinking of the category 'dog,' an exemplar might be your own pet dog or a particular dog you have seen before.
2. Step 2: Understand the concept of 'prototypes.' Prototypes are abstract, generalized representations of a category, often formed by averaging the common features of all members of that category. For example, the prototype of 'dog' would be a mental image that captures the most typical features of dogs in general, not any one specific dog.
3. Step 3: Compare the two concepts by focusing on their level of specificity. Exemplars are concrete and specific, while prototypes are abstract and generalized.
4. Step 4: Recognize that exemplars rely on memory of actual category members, whereas prototypes are constructed as an average or idealized representation that may not correspond to any real instance.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the key difference is that exemplars are specific instances stored in memory, while prototypes are abstract averages of a category, which helps explain how people categorize new stimuli based on either specific examples or generalized concepts.