IB Psychology SL Lecture 13 | SCHEMA

Schema

Definition: A mental representation of knowledge stored in the brain. A schema can be seen as a network of knowledge, beliefs, and expectations about particular aspects of the world.

Schema processing is usually automatic. It involves information from both bottom-up and top-down processes, which is used to interpret the incoming information (pattern recognition, interpretation.)

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TEST: Recall

Can you recall any of the words that we used in the primacy and recency effect study?

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Why am I torturing you with this?

Did you recall any words that were not on the list?

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For example, in Ethridge et. al (2018), when Mr. Ethridge conducted this study on Mrs. Ethridge, she remembered the word “sleep.” This is schema theory at work?

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Explanations?

Schema Theory argues that what we know will influence the outcome of information processing.

• Once information is observed and process, any missing “information” will be filled in by “schemas,” which rely on previous knowledge or sheer invention to fit our conceptual frameworks.

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More on Schemas

What we already know will influence the outcome of information processing.

• Distortions: If information is missing, the brain will invent something that seems to fit in. This can result in mistakes (called, yes, you guessed it, distortions!)

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Even More on Schemas

Schema are used to organize our knowledge, to assist recall, to guide our behaviour, to predict likely happenings and to help us to make sense of current experiences. Schemas are cognitive structures that are derived from prior experience and knowledge.

They simplify reality, setting up expectations about what is probable in relation to particular social and textual contexts. Schemas are culturally specific but may vary even within a single culture because of such factors as class.

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CLASS EXPERIMENT I: YOUR LISTS

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CLASS EXPERIMENT II: MR. ETHRIDGE’S DESK

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Why did I make You Do This?

We just replicated a study by Brewer and Treyens (1981) that did something similar.

Participants were more likely to recall schematic objects (computers, papers, etc.) They also reported things that would be on a typical desk but were not present (telephones, books, etc.)

They also recalled things that were unusual precisely because they didn’t fit their schema (skull).

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Possible Ways Schema May Influence memory

People tend to ignore information that is not in line with their schema (aschematic information). This may lead to bias in information processing (e.g. in stereotyping where people ignore information that is not in line with their schema.

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People tend to focus on information that it is line with their schemas (schematic information). This may result in confirmation bias.

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Follow-Up Questions

How does Bransford and Johnson illustrate how schema influences encoding?

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So What? Schema and scripts

A script is a schema about a sequence of events, for example, going to a restaurant or making coffee.

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For example, many of you knew how Subway worked before you went to Azzip. The script of Subway, helped prepare you for Azzip. This is why walking into Azzip isn’t altogether confusing - it’s like Subway, right?

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SO What?: Schema and Stereotypes

In the sociocultural approach, we will study how stereotypes are formed and how they influence behavior.

Psychologists think that social schemas - mental representations about various groups of people - are in themselves stereotypes. There are stereotypes about suburban families, homeless people, people of different religions, etc., that all carry with them schema.

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Schema and Processing: Bottom-Up Processing

• Information from our sensory systems.
• We use the features on the object itself to build a perception.
• Takes longer than top-down but it is more accurate.

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i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghi t pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.�

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Schema and Processing: Top-Down PROCESSING

• Information stored in memory.
• We perceive by filling the gaps in what we sense based on our own experiences and schemas.

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I _ant ch_co_ate ic_ cr_am

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Rat Man of Bugelski and Alampay (1961)

In this brief study, participants were either exposed to faces or rats, then shown that picture. Those who saw faces more often saw the image as an old man wearing glasses. Those who saw rats more often saw rates.

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Schemas influence top-down processing here. How?

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Pattern Recognition

Schemas influence top-down processing through pattern recognition. The textbook argues that “evolution has predisposed us to see certain patterns… because these patterns might be potentially important to us.”

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Schema and Pattern Recognition

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Schema Theory: Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

Testable

Cross-cultural validity

Weaknesses

Unknown etiology

Construct validity?

What else?

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Finally, A Video on Chairs

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Why did I just Show you a Video on Chairs?

It’s another example of schema theory.

Each chair in the video is different, but you didn’t ask “What’s that?” after every awesome chair. Likewise, you aren’t bamboozled when you encounter a chair that you’ve never seen before in real life. Instead, we use our chair schema to figure out what it is most likely to be.

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