Schemas and Scripts

• The human mind is extremely sophisticated: It manipulates (like ur ex first love lol) our mental representations of objects in the real world when we do things like think, make plans in our lives, imagine, or problem solve

• Schemas can be defined as mental representations that are derived from our past experiences and our knowledge obtained from it

• A schema is a mental framework or structure that helps you organize and interpret information based on prior knowledge, experiences, and expectations.

• Schemas are like mental templates or shortcuts that help us quickly make sense of new information by relating it to what we already know: For example, if someone gives me their phone and asks me to call a doctor with it, I won’t start panicking like oMFG WHAT IS THIS PHONE IVE NEVER USED IT BEFORE, I will use my knowledge of how a phone works to use this phone, even if i’ve never used it before

• Since the phone is new to me, I will likely be introduced to new features about it. If it has new features, using the phone will help me assimilate this new information into my existing schema for mobile phones

• They are built from our experiences, cultural background, and social interactions.
• Schemas help us predict outcomes, interpret situations, and make decisions without needing to analyze everything from scratch every time. (that would be exhausting)
• When we discuss how things work, such as "how to score knowledge", this is referred to as a script.  Scripts are patterns of behavior that are learned through our interaction with the environment.  We have scripts for what to expect when one goes to the movies, the appropriate way to eat a plate of spaghetti, and what behavior is expected on a first date. Scripts are developed within a cultural context - they are not universal. When we travel, we often find that our scripts don't lead to the predicted outcomes we expect. For example, if your script for stores involves going into a shop, picking up what you need, standing in line, and then paying the price on the label, you will find that many cultures around the world do not follow this script.  In many places, lines are not part of the culture of shopping and bargaining is the only way to decide how much you have to pay. If this is not your script for shopping, you may be confused or frustrated in this situation.  But with experience, you will eventually incorporate this knowledge into your script for how you shop.

Schema theory posits that cognitive structures, called schemas, are an essential aspect of the organization, interpretation, and recall of information.

When new information is registered, it is interpreted through the lens of these pre-existing schemas, allowing for efficient mental processing. Many different types of schemas exist including personal schemas that help us make sense of information about people and their behaviors, self-schemas are collections of beliefs and generalizations about ourselves, role schemas involve the expected behaviors and traits associated with social roles**, event schemas** provide a framework for understanding the sequence of actions and object schemas help us recognize and categorize objects based on their attributes and functions.

As outlined by Bartlett (1932) information that aligns with pre-existing schemas is more likely to be encoded and recalled accurately. Furthermore, schema theory posits that the efficiency of memory retrieval is contingent upon the degree of schema congruence.

In schema theory, "assimilation" refers to the process of incorporating new information into existing mental frameworks (schemas) by interpreting it through our current understanding, while "accommodation" involves changing or adjusting existing schemas to fit new information that doesn't neatly align with our current knowledge.

Schemas are processed in a variety of ways, including:

• Top-down processing – sensory inputs are processed through existing mental representations (the opposite process is bottom-up processing, which focuses on the features of the sensory inputs/information received from the four senses, not related cognitions).
• Pattern recognition – inputs are 'matched' to existing mental representations.
• Stereotyping – using a fixed mental representation to perceive other people.