3.2- schema

SCHEMA THEORY

• Definition: A cognitive framework for structuring information about the physical world and events, influencing memory recall and perception.

THE ROLE OF SCHEMAS

• Example of Schema: Everyone has an idea of what a typical apple looks like.

• Functionality: Helps organize and optimize cognitive workload.

• Effect on Perception: Schemas can distort memory, limiting accurate recollection.

• Piaget's Theory: Developed the concept of schemas, describing how children form and evolve schemas through experience.

INFLUENCE OF SCHEMAS

• Attention: People are more likely to pay attention to information that aligns with their schemas.

• Learning: Information fitting existing schemas is learned more readily.

• Speed of Processing: Schemas allow for quick thinking and interpretation of new information.

• Distortion of Information: New information may be altered to fit existing schemas.

• Resistance to Change: People often cling to established schemas despite contradictory evidence.

TYPES OF SCHEMA

• Object Schemas: Definitions of inanimate objects and their functions.

• Person Schemas: Understanding of specific individuals, including behaviors and preferences.

• Social Schemas: Knowledge about expected behaviors in social contexts.

• Self-Schemas: Understanding of oneself, including current and future identity.

• Event Schemas: Expected behaviors and roles in certain situations, like scripts for social interactions.

SCHEMA ADJUSTMENT

• Assimilation: Incorporating new information into pre-existing schemas.

• Accommodation: Changing existing schemas or creating new ones due to new experiences.

• Rigidity with Age: Resistance to change increases as individuals grow older.

KEY STUDY: BRADSFORD & JOHNSON (1972)

• Aim: Investigate the effect of context on comprehension and memory.

• Procedure: Divided participants into three groups with different contexts regarding a paragraph about laundry.

• Findings: Group that received context before reading recalled significantly better.

• Conclusion: Context aids memory encoding and interpretation.

• Evaluation: Study is replicable and shows high reliability, yet the artificial task limits real-world relevance.

EFFORT AFTER MEANING

• Definition: Proposed by Frederic Bartlett; memory is actively reconstructed, relying on prior knowledge and expectations.

• Implication: Information recalled may undergo alterations based on familiarity and personal experience.

RESEARCH STUDY: BARTLETT (1932)

• Aim: Investigate the impact of cultural schemas on memory.

• Procedure: British participants recalled a Native American story, "War of the Ghosts."

• Findings: Participants shortened the story and altered unfamiliar details to fit English literary conventions.

• Conclusion: Cultural schemas can distort memory.

• Evaluation: The study highlights schema influence but involves methodological limitations and questions about ecological validity.

GREGORY’S TOP-DOWN THEORY

• Definition: Perception is guided by prior knowledge and experiences, influencing interpretation of sensory inputs.

• Emphasis on Mental Processes: Prior knowledge is crucial, and stimuli are understood using past experiences.

• Implication for Perception: Overwhelming stimuli demand our reliance on schemas to hypothesize meanings of new information.

EVALUATION OF TOP-DOWN THEORY

• Strengths: Advances understanding of perception; logical explanations for incomplete stimuli.

• Weaknesses: Studies often use artificial scenarios that may not reflect real-world complexities; universal perceptions challenge the hypothesis.

GIBSON’S BOTTOM-UP THEORY

• Definition: Perception begins with sensation; no prior knowledge is needed to perceive stimuli accurately.

• Straightforward Functionality: Perception is direct, based on environmental stimuli, without prior learning.

• Key Components:

  • Optical Array: Structured light patterns that contain necessary information for understanding stimuli.

  • Texture Gradient: Provides depth cues based on the density of surfaces.

  • Optic Flow Patterns: Changes in perception based on movement in relation to the environment.

  • Affordances: Object structures suggest their uses without necessary learning.

EVALUATE SCHEMA THEORY

D.E.A.L:

1. Describe: Schema theory outlines cognitive structures that influence memory and perception.

2. Explain Evidence: Studies conducted illustrate the effects of schemas on memory recall.

3. Applications: Applicable in educational psychology and memory enhancement strategies.

4. Limitations: Rigid schemas can lead to inaccurate memories and bias in perception.