An Explanation of Why Inference Learners Sometimes Appear to Store Prototypical Features

Introduction A range of studies indicate that inference learners and classification learners rely on different knowledge when making post training judgments (e.g. Yamauchi & Markman, 1998). The differences have been argued to be due to inference learners focusing on prototypical features whereas classification learners focus on diagnostic features or exemplars (e.g. Markman & Ross, 2003). This hypothesis will be referred to as the learning paradigm hypothesis (LPH). In the present study an alternative hypothesis, the directed attention hypothesis (DAH), is introduced. DAH suggests that, in previous studies, a confounding variable in the inference learning condition have created the illusion that all stimuli are identical to the prototypes.