Understanding the Layperson’s Perception of Prayer: A Prototype Analysis of Prayer

The objective of the current studies was to utilize prototype analysis to foster a better understanding of lay concepts of prayer. In four studies, we found evidence that concepts of prayer are indeed prototypically organized. In Study 1, participants listed features of prayer. In Study 2, participants reliably rated the centrality of these features. In Study 3, participants perceived behaviors described in a scenario as better characterizing prayer when central, as opposed to peripheral, features were used in the description. In Study 4, participants remembered, both correctly and falsely, more central than peripheral features in a narrative describing the use of prayer. The practical implications of these results are discussed.