PSY 410-002 – Cognitive Psychology Lab



PSY 410 – Cognitive Psychology Lab. J. P. Toth Spring 2011

Lab Assignment #10 (the last lab!): Prototypes & Poster Creation

Your first goal for today's lab is to complete the "Prototypes" experiment in CogLab and answer 3 questions about it. Your second goal is to start (or continue) working on your poster for the Cognitive Psychology Student Research Day which will be held Monday, May 2nd in S&B 108. This will be your last full lab opportunity to get input from the TAs or me on your data or poster ideas, so please use your time wisely!

A. Complete the Prototypes experiment in CogLab and answer these questions.

1. Briefly explain then idea of a prototype in the context of theories of categorization, and give one concrete example (other than dogs or trees).

2. In the present experiment, what stimuli and what pattern of data are used to test the prototype hypothesis (i.e., the operation of a prototype in categorization)?

3. Do your data show a "prototype effect"? Briefly explain why or why not.

4. Some researchers have argued that, rather than prototypes, categorization may often be based on exemplars. Briefly describe the exemplar theory, and then explain how it could account for the "prototype effect" observed in this experiment.

5. Describe a way the current experiment could be changed so as to strengthen the size of the prototype effect.

>> Name your file "Lab10-yourlastname.doc" and mail it to Brian or Adam by this Friday.

B. Create your poster! Here are some key points to keep in mind…

❑ Be sure to look over the two guides to Effective Posters on the class website!

❑ Create a catchy title and remember to include your name (underneath the title).

❑ Use large, clear fonts to make your poster easy to read, even from a distance.

❑ Use color! (as long as it's readable and doesn't detract from your science).

❑ Avoid large blocks of text. Describe your project with very short paragraphs or bulleted points, using figures, tables, examples & images whenever possible.

❑ Finally, keep in mind that visitors will likely ask you to tell them about your project, rather than just reading your poster. So review the details of your project including the main phenomenon under investigation, the background literature, your methods and statistics, and your conclusions. The best strategy for doing this well is to write down and practice a one-minute summary of your project!

❑ The poster session will be held Monday, May 2nd, from 3:15 to 6:00pm in S&B 108. Please come to S&B 108 by 3:00 to get your poster set up. Doing so will allow you to relax for a moment, have a snack, and look at your classmates posters before other UNCW faculty and students arrive. After the session has ended, please leave your poster outside my office door (S&B 105G). Good luck and have fun!

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