Prototype Theory
Prototype theory is a theory of categorization in cognitive science, particularly in psychology and cognitive linguistics, in which there is a graded degree of belonging to a conceptual category, and some members are more central than others. It emerged in 1971 with the work of psychologist Eleanor Rosch, and it has been described as a " Copernican revolution" in the theory of categorization for its departure from the traditional Aristotelian categories.Coșeriu (2000) It has been criticized by those that still endorse the traditional theory of categories, like linguist Eugenio Coseriu and other proponents of the structural semantics paradigm. In this prototype theory, any given concept in any given language has a real world example that best represents this concept. For example: when asked to give an example of the concept ''furniture'', a ''couch'' is more frequently cited than, say, a ''wardrobe''. Prototype theory has also been applied in linguistics, as part of the mappin ...
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Categorization
Categorization is the ability and activity of recognizing shared features or similarities between the elements of the experience of the world (such as objects, events, or ideas), organizing and classifying experience by associating them to a more abstract group (that is, a category, class, or type), on the basis of their traits, features, similarities or other criteria that are universal to the group. Categorization is considered one of the most fundamental cognitive abilities, and as such it is studied particularly by psychology and cognitive linguistics. Categorization is sometimes considered synonymous w