The influence of category representations on exemplar generation

Abstract

The present study examined the influence of category representations on exemplar generation, which has been neglected in previous category research. An experiment on college students manipulated the category representation of insects in three conditions (prototypes, exemplars, and the hybrid of prototypes and exemplars). Participants were asked to generate as many exemplars as possible. The results demonstrate that category representations affect and constrain exemplar generation. The new findings are as follows. In the prototype and hybrid conditions with the prototype representation, people tend to generate more valid exemplars by using the prototype mutation mechanism, and exemplar generation conforms to the family resemblance structure. Exemplar generation in the hybrid condition is additionally constrained by known exemplars. In the exemplar condition, people tend to generate fewer valid exemplars by using miscellaneous strategies, and their exemplar generation may not conform to the family resemblance structure.