Walking in the woods, Thom recognized the tree in front of him as a maple. In recognizing this particular example, Thom was probably using a(n) __________, a hypothetical idealized pattern of a maple tree.
A) prototype
B) model
C) exemplar
D) template
E) distinctive feature

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Thom was likely using a prototype, which is a mental image or best example of a category. Prototypes help us quickly identify objects in our environment by comparing them to our idealized or most typical example of a category.

Walking in the Woods, Thom Recognized the Tree in Front