Research Article
Similarity-Based Categorization: The Development of Prototype Theory
Author:
James A. Hampton
City University London, GB
Abstract
It is now twenty years since Rosch and Mervis first published the mass of evidence on which the Prototype Theory of concepts was originally based (Rosch, 1977; Rosch & Mervis, 1975). The theory has evolved many varieties over the years - varieties which have rarely been made explicit. These different ways of interpreting the notion of a prototype have often been a worrying source of vagueness and confusion in the theory. In this article these different interpretations will be examined by looking at the kinds of attribute which could be involved in a prototype representation, and discussing how the model could be formulated in each case. It will be argued that a key element required for a successful model of prototypes is the element of abstraction, and that certain versions of Prototype Theory that lack this element are inadequate as a result.
How to Cite:
Hampton, J.A., 1995. Similarity-Based Categorization: The Development of Prototype Theory. Psychologica Belgica, 35(2-3), pp.103–125. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/pb.881
Published on
01 Jan 1995.
Peer Reviewed
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