ANXIETY AND CATEGORIZATION .1. THE STRUCTURE AND BOUNDARIES OF MENTAL CATEGORIES

The current series of four studies assesses the relationship between trait anxiety and the way people categorize natural objects. Study 1 examines the relationship between trait anxiety and the rejection of nonprototype members of categories. Study 2 examines whether trait anxiety is related to the narrowing of the breadth of categories. Studies 3 and 4 assess the relationship between trait anxiety and the perceived relatedness of members of a same and different categories. Results show that as trait anxiety increases, more nonprototype members are rejected from membership in a category, the width of mental categories is narrowed, and the perceived relatedness of members of a same and different categories is reduced. Results were discussed in terms of the cognitive effects of anxiety. © 1990.