Examined the nature of memory representations of visual patterns in 4 experiments with female undergraduates (n = 81). During an acquisition task, ss were exposed to a subset of the instances of a pattern that varied in their transformational distance from the prototype. Ss were then given a recognition test with confidence ratings. The recognition items consisted of the prototype and a set of instances of a pattern varying in their transformational distance from the prototype. Ss' recognition ratings were inversely related to a recognition item's transformational distance from the prototype, with the prototype getting the highest recognition rating. Findings support a characterization of the acquired memory representations in terms of a schema composed of a prototype and transformations. The prototype-plus-transformation model is contrasted with alternative feature-frequency models of what is learned in the present experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)