Prototype and Exemplar-Based Information in Natural Language Categories

Two experiments are reported in which four dependent variables; typicality ratings, response times, category-naming frequencies, and exemplar-generation frequencies of natural language concepts, were predicted by two sorts of prototype predictors and by an exemplar predictor related to Heit and Barsalou’s (1996) instantiation principle. In the first experiment, the exemplar predictor was compared to a prototype predictor calculated as in Hampton (1979). The four dependent variables were either predicted better by the exemplar measure than by the prototype predictor or the predictive value was about equal. In the second experiment, a new prototype predictor was calculated based on Rosch and Mervis’ (1975) classic family resemblance measure. The results showed that the exemplar predictor accounted better for the dependent variables than Hampton’s and Rosch and Mervis’ prototype measures. The differences between the prototype measures were not significant. © 2000