Schema Theory Essay

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EVALUATE SCHEMA THEORY WITH REFERENCE TO RESEARCH STUDIES. Introduction • Define schema o Schemas are cognitive structures that organize knowledge stored in our memory. o They are mental representations of categories (from our knowledge, beliefs and expectations) about particular aspects of the world such as people, objects, events, and situations. • Expand on schema o Knowledge that is stored in our memory is organized as a set of schemas (or knowledge structures), which represent the general knowledge about the world, people, events, objects, actions and situations that has been acquired from past experiences. o Types of schemas: • Scripts provide information about the sequence of events that occur in particular contexts (e.g. going to a restaurant, visiting the dentist, attending class).s • Self-schemas organise information we have about ourselves (information stored in our memory about our strengths and weaknesses and how we feel about them). • Social schemas (e.g. stereotypes) – represent information about groups of people (e.g. Americans, Egyptians, women, accountants, etc.). • Define schema theory o Cognitive theory of processing and organizing information. o Schema theory states that “as active processors of information, humans integrate new information with existing, stored information.” • Expand on schema theory Effects o Existing knowledge stored in our memory (what we already know) and organized in the form of schemas will affect information processing and behaviour in specific settings. • E.g. Information we already know affects the way we interpret new information and events and how we store it in our memory. o It is not possible to see how knowledge is processed and stored in the brain, but the concept of schema theory helps psychologists understand and discuss what cannot be seen. o Schema theory can describe how specific

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