The Pros…

And the Cons…

Five Points about Schema

1) What is Schema?

A schema describes an organized pattern of thought. Schemata influence attention and the absorption of new knowledge: people are more likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while re-interpreting contradictions to the schema as exceptions or distorting them to fit. Schemata have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory information.

2) How Are Schema Used?

People use schemata to organize current knowledge and provide a framework for future understanding. In Piaget’s theory of development, children adopt a series of schemata to understand the world around them.

3) Where Does the Term “Schema” Originate?

The term “schema” was introduced by Piaget in 1926.Through the use of schemata, people can quickly organize new perceptions into schemata and act without effort. However, schemata can influence and hamper the uptake of new information and cause memory distortion. For example, if a businessman draws a knife on a vagrant, based on their social schemata, a witness may remember the vagrant pulling the knife instead.

4) Are Schema Independent?

Schemata are interrelated and multiple schemata can be applied to the same information. Schema can conflict with each other.

5) How Are Schema Accessed and Stored?

This is determined by personal experience. A brief stimulus temporarily provides enough activation to a schema so that it is used for subsequent information. New information that falls within an individual’s schema is easily remembered and incorporated into their worldview. Assimilation is the reuse of schemata to fit the new information.