Schemas

What are Schemas?

• Schemas are representations stored in memory.
• In psychology, the patterns of thought that we have are called mental representations or schemas.
• Schemas influence how we act, think and remember.
• Information that you have large schemas built on already stands out more.
• For instance if someone were to ask you to give an example of a pet you might say a cat or a dog as those are the most common types of pets.
• However if you were to have a parrot or a turtle then you might give that as an example because you would be more familiar with those animals and have a more in-depth schema about it.
• We use our experiences, beliefs and knowledge to generate schemas.
• They are stored in our neural circuits (memory) and give us a point of behavioral and representational reference for new situations.
• Schemas help us ignore unimportant information which would otherwise bee too much for our brain.
• Disorders like spectrum autism disorder for example make it difficult to filter out unnecessary information.
• Although schemas are very useful, some can be harmful. Namely bad habits and incorrect patterns of thought.
  
• Any stimulus might evoke schemas, affecting cognitive processes and activating decision making and problem solving.
• Schemas could help you recognize your friend's living room as a living room, use mathematical formulas in different situations, read in a foreign language (by noticing familiar words) or choosing between two options.
• Schemas are also necessary for all motor skills, including walking, writing, and riding a bike.
• The more skilled and automatic a motor function is, the less you must consciously pay attention to it.
• For example if you were just learning how to bike you'd have to constantly pay attention to your surroundings and balance. However, if you were experienced you might even be able to bike while texting on your phone (although you really shouldn't).

Slow and Fast Thinking

• Human thought processes can be explained in terms of fast and slow thinking.
• Fast thinking is intuitive and typically directed by schemas.
• This is because schemas help us associate new things with information we have stored in our memory.
• However schemas and fast thinking make people prone to biases and errors.
• For example if you overhead something about the Guinness World Records you might think of the beer brand (which is actually where they originated from, look it up!) and falsely assume it to be an international beer-drinking contest.
  
• Slow thinking is as one might assume, a more slow-paced and in-depth way of thinking.
• Slow thinking also requires schemas but the number of errors is greatly reduced.
• Slow thinking features analytical thinking and voluntarily directed attention.
• Whereas fast thinking is based on emotions and impulse and is prone to errors, slow thinking is more rational and reasonable but is generally used less often.

Types of Schemas

Scripts

• Scripts are a sub-type of schema that describe the main features of an activity and allow us to perform it regularly.
• They allow people to cope in familiar situations.
• Scripts outline typical behavior, social codes and order of actions.
• Scripts entail a ‘rough draft’ of an activity and are elaborated in actual situations.
• For example, the dining script may anticipate arriving at a restaurant, getting seated, and waiting for a member of staff to take your order.
• However if you go to a buffet for example, you might need a different script.
• Flexible scripts, imitation, or previous experiences allow you to adapt your behavior in changing situations.
  
• If you do not have a script for a new situation you probably feel very awkward or nervous.
• However, you can somewhat remedy the situation by asking for advice or imitating others.

Cognitive Maps

• A cognitive map is a mental map of a certain area.
• Cognitive maps form after having been through an area many times.
• You have a cognitive map of your home and your trip to school for example. If you didn't you'd get lost practically every time.

Stable Types of Schemas

• Worldview and self-concept influence perception like all other types of schema.
• Other examples of schemas are worldview, self-concept, belief system and attitude.
  
• Schemas must be flexible and adaptive to new situations. It is typical for human behavior to adapt to change by assimilating and accommodating schemas.
• Learning is an example of situations that require the modification of schemas.
• Some schemas are, however, relatively stable. For instance, worldview and self-concept do not fluctuate much across situations.
• They instead regulate perceptual exploration and the interpretations we make.

Worldview

• Worldview is one of the most significant far-reaching schemas.
• It is a stable perception of yourself and the world around you and many it influences many external and internal experiences.
• Beliefs about the fundamental aspects of reality and accepted ways of behavior shape the ways people understand new experiences and react to them.
  
• Worldview includes values, which direct sampling as well.
• Most people are drawn to information supports and strengthens their preexisting worldview.
• The tendency to avoid internal conflicts and interpret new information that supports our assumptions makes it difficult to change someone's attitudes.
• In psychology, this phenomenon is called confirmation bias.
• For example if you have a schema of a certain stereotype then stimuli related to that stereotype reinforces the schema, whereas stimuli opposite to the stereotype is thought of as an exception to the norm.
  
• Worldview affects our thinking consciously and unconsciously and not all our decisions and interpretations are logical.
• In fact, situational emotions and mental images drive human behavior surprisingly often.
• In such situations, an individual acts according to the set of beliefs, past experiences, and patterns of thoughts that make up their worldview.
• This is referred to as intuitive thinking.
• For example, some people are pessimistic, they usually expect the worst in every situation, whereas optimistic individuals tend to be hopeful and confident about the future.

Self-Concept

• In addition to worldview, self-concept is a significant schema influencing human behavior and it refers to how someone perceives and evaluates themselves.
• It encompasses appearance, personality, abilities and social behavior.
• It is based on personal beliefs, knowledge, interpretations, and experiences.
• Self-concept provides a foundation for evaluating personal attributes and possibilities, filtering experiences, and making decisions.
  
• Regardless of whether a self-concept is positive or negative, realistic or distorted, it has tremendous impacts on human behavior.
• A healthy self-concept forms in a supportive and open-minded environment and is connected to a positive attitude towards life.
• Adolescence is an important developmental period for the self and results in the formation of a mostly stable self-concept and identity.

How Schemas Form

• The brain generally avoids forming new schemas, as it is more efficient.
• It is easier to recall things from memory when they are related to one another.
• Schemas are usually built off each other.
• New information is added to existing schemas through two distinct ways.

Assimilation/Reinforcement

• New information merges with the old information.
• The schema does not change but new information is added to it.
• Assimilation is the most common form of absorbing new information.
• As more information is assimilated to a schema the more prominent it becomes.

Accommodation/Alteration

• New information modifies the old and the schema changes.
• Accommodation takes place when you learn a correction to something false you thought was true for example, thus correcting your knowledge.

Affect of Cultures on Schemas

• Schemas are specific to certain cultures. This means that norms and traditions that seem normal in one culture might appear odd to others.
• This means that some behaviors and the perception of knowledge are unique to a particular culture, and in some cases, only learned and understood in that context.
• A person raised in another cultural context might not even know something that you consider normal, or at the very least, perceives it as strange.
• For example in countries like Turkey, stray dogs and cats can be found all around, whereas in Finland there aren't any stray animals.
• Similarly, people traveling to Finland might think that going to the sauna often would be very strange.
• Thus, the environment and culture affect human behavior by shaping schemas stored in the neural circuits of the brain.