What is a typicality gradient? What are the effects of typicality gradients on how we process categories?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: If a category has a prototype, the prototype represents what is most likely true for the category (e.g., a robin). Individual members of the category will vary from the prototype (e.g., chicken). The degree to which the category members are similar or vary from the prototype creates a typicality gradient. Behavioral research has shown that we learn faster, categorize faster, and make stronger inferences if an item is closer to the prototype.
You might also like to view...
Karen smokes two packs of cigarettes a day. However, she is aware that smoking is harmful to her health; therefore, she holds two conflicting or dissonant thoughts. If Karen were to reduce her cognitive dissonance by reducing the amount of her perceived choice, she might say to herself,
a. "Smoking really is not that dangerous.". b. "Smoking is a habit that I have little control over.". c. "I think that I'll try to give smoking up.". d. "I'll only smoke when I feel stressed out.".
An 8-month-old infant is only capable of categorizing objects on perceptual properties and not on more complex properties such as perceived function and behavior.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
Jurors who display authoritarian beliefs
A. are more likely to convict in mock jury experiments. B. are more likely to endorse aggravating factors in capital trials. C. are more likely to sentence a defendant to death. D. All of these are correct.
Albert and Abigail, who weigh the same, each consumed the same amount of alcohol. An hour later, Abigail has a higher blood alcohol level. How do researchers explain this difference in blood alcohol levels?
a) Women tend to drink at a different rate than men. b) Women have less of the stomach enzyme alcohol hydrogenase. c) There are hormonal differences that directly influence the breakdown of alcohol. d) Despite the similar weights, women tend to have digestive organs that are somewhat smaller and thus alcohol moves through the system faster.