Prototype effect and the persuasiveness of generalizations

Summary, in English

An argument that makes use of a generalization activates the prototype for the category used in the generalization. We conducted two experiments that investigated how the activation of the prototype affects the persuasiveness of the argument. The results of the experiments suggest that the features of the prototype overshadow

and partly overwrite the actual facts of the case. The case is, to some extent, judged as if it had the features of the prototype instead of the features it actually has. This prototype effect increases the persuasiveness of the argument in situations where the audience

finds the judgment more warranted for the prototype than for the actual case (positive prototype effect), but decreases persuasiveness in situations where the audience finds the judgment less warranted for the prototype than for the actual case (negative prototype effect).

• Author: Christian Dahlman; Farhan Sarwar; Rasmus Bååth; Lena Wahlberg; Sverker Sikström
• Department/s: Law, Evidence and Cognition (LEVIC); Department of Law; Department of Psychology; Cognitive Science; Health Law
• Publishing year: 2015
• Language: English
• Pages: 163-180
• Publication/Series: Review of Philosophy and Psychology
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Full text: - 751 kB; Download statistics
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13164-015-0264-1
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Springer
• Topic: Law
• Keywords: allmän rättslära; jurisprudence
• Status: Published
• Project: Law, Evidence and Cognition
• Research group: Law, Evidence and Cognition (LEVIC); Health Law
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1878-5166