Bad Birds and Better Birds: Prototype Theories

Ethos Prototypes: The Intersection of Rhetoric, Cognition, and Communicating Health Policy Internationally

“…Consider the following example: We are told an item is a “pen,” but it has few features in common with our prototype for pen. So, while we agree to recognize what the item is, we consider it a poor—or less acceptable—version of a pen due to limited matching characteristics (Aitchison, ; St.Amant, ).…”

“…Prototypes also assist in determining how “acceptable” or “credible” an item is within a prototype class (Aitchison, ; St.Amant, ). Consider the following example: We are told an item is a “pen,” but it has few features in common with our prototype for pen.…”

“…Prototypes do not arise randomly. Rather, they are formed through exposure over time (Aitchison, ; St.Amant, ). The more I encounter a policy document that looks a certain way, the more closely I associate those characteristics with the prototype I have for “policy document.” This prototype establishes the ethos‐related features a document must have for me to consider it a credible policy document.…”

“…Prototypes are mental models we use to recognize objects (Aitchison, 1994;Rosch, 1978). They do so by combining large amounts of information into single units to facilitate cognitive processing.…”

“…These prototypes become representatives for how I identify items. The process works as follows: I encounter an object, and I need to identify it (Aitchison, 1994;Rosch, 1978). To do so, I compare that object to the prototypes my mental database has for items I've encountered before.…”