Schema Theory

Cognitive Schemas

Mental representations that organize our knowledge, beliefs, and expectations about an object, event, person or group

Lenses/maps through which we see the world
Schema can't be directly observed, non-material
Behaviour can be observed, conversations/interviews provide insight too

Cognitive Schema Characteristics

- built from experience
- influence the way we interpret, organize, communicate, and remember information
- Automatic and non-conscious process

Social Schemas

Mental representations about groups of people (stereotypes)

Darley and Gross 1983: Academic performance judged based on the reported socio-economic status of student being observed

Self Schemas

Mental representations about ourselves

Beck's Theory of Depression 1967: negative self-schemas and corresponding automatic thinking patterns are the driving force

Schemas influence Encoding

Bransford & Johnson
- Information more effectively converted to LTM with a schema
- Encoding is the process of converting data into a format required for a number of information processing needs

Bransford & Johnson: Procedure

- A prerecorded passage was played to the participants.
- Recall it as accurately as possible
5 conditions:
1. Heard the passage once
2. Heard the passage twice
3. Provided a context picture before the passage was played (30 seconds)
4. Provided a context picture after hearing the passage
5. Context pic before but objects were rearranged

Bransford & Johnson: Results

The recollection of the sample was measured in idea units
Without context = 3.6 IU
Without context x 2 = 3.8 IU
Context before = 8 IU
Context after = 3.6 IU
Partial context = 4 IU
People shown context before were able to recollect most of the data
Context prior influences the people to organise their knowledge according to the picture/context (schema)

Bransford & Johnson: Takeaway

People who were shown context before were able to recollect the most of the data in the passage.
Showing the context prior to the playing of the passage influences the people to organize their knowledge according to the picture/context (schema

Schemas influence Retrieval

Anderson, Pichert, Shirley (Robber vs Homebuyer: Pichert --> picker, lockpicker)
Investigating if schema processing influences encoding and retrieval
Info more effectively returned from LTM when linked with a schema

Anderson, Pichert, Shirley: Procedure

Participants are assigned one of two roles; Homebuyer or Burglar and then read passage about a home.
Participants asked to recall perspective of story as accurately as possible
Keep/Change perspective
recall again

Anderson, Pichert, Shirley: Results

For first recall, "burglars" recalled more burglar information and "homebuyers" recalled more homebuyer information
Participants in changed schema test were able to recall and additional 7% more of the "now important" details.

Anderson, Pichert, Shirely: Takeaway

Schemas organize the knowledge in our memory. New information is perceived through existing schemas. They even act when we are storing and recollecting information from Long Term Memory.

Top Down Processing

Uses pre existing knowledge schemas and acts as filter to help process new information

Bottom Up Processing

Pure information processing used
need to rely on your senses because you don't have reliable experience or pre existing knowledge to connect the new information