Prototype formation from imaged, kinesthetically, and visually presented geometric figures.

The issue of prototype formation from simple geometric figures presented in various modes was studied in four conditions. Base figures and their exemplars were scaled in terms of their physical similarity, which was considered to reflect cognitive similarity. Geometric exemplars were visually presented, imaged by the subject, and kinesthetically presented. Following initial presentation, a recognition task was given in which some old items, some new items, and the prototype (also a new item) were presented in the same modality as originally perceived. The results indicate that prototype formation spans a wide class of human experiences and that internal representations of geometric figures derived from experiences with one modality tend to be second-order isomorphic with similar experiences derived from another modality.