An account in which category judgments rely on similarity to an abstract or representative summary. It naturally explains centrality and generalization effects, but must be distinguished from exemplar theory and from a descriptive typicality gradient.
A pattern of overlapping attributes among members without requiring one attribute set shared identically by every member. The distribution of attributes in competing categories matters as well as their occurrence within one category. Family resemblance can describe a category structure without specifying how it is learned or stored.
A central or representative summary used in a categorization account. It need not be a previously encountered individual, and its selection can depend on the modeled feature distribution, comparison classes and goals.
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Prototype theory is a cognitive science concept that explains how humans categorize and understand concepts and objects. Developed in the 1970s by cognitive scientist Eleanor Rosch, this theory posits that instead of categorizing items based on strict definitions or a set of necessary and sufficient conditions, people categorize them based on typical or "prototypical" examples. ### Key Features of Prototype Theory: 1. **Prototypes**: A prototype is the most representative or "best" example of a category.