Schema (psychology)

A schema is a tool of the people to information that it receives through its sense organs to assign a meaning. Schemes allow people to find their way quickly and effortlessly in any situation and make sense to behave. Only in surprising or particularly important situations not schemes, but controlled, conscious cognitions are action-guiding.

Schemes are contents of implicit memory, will therefore be " brought " in the situation, and determine through recognition (top down) on selection / filtering of incoming information, the importance and the further on storage and classification of new knowledge. They also fill in gaps in information and decide how ambiguous stimuli are interpreted. Schemes thus control the perception and information processing of humans and in consequence of his actions. When reality has differences to the active schema, they are only perceived when, " not to miss " are very striking. Basic work on schema research come from Bartlett (1932 ) and Markus (1977).

Described Technically called a schema in psychology a mental knowledge structure containing information about a particular object or concept in an abstract, generalized form. Schemes are not to be understood as entities in the memory, but by way of illustration, as learned knowledge can be used in information processing.

• 4.1 Levels of representation
• 4.2 Social Aspects of schemes

Simplified description by analogy and example

Analogy

Schemes can be understood, in which the original things are collected as many different labeled drawers of a cabinet.

Example of application

In publications is described as " classic " example of the scheme application several times the schema for the "Restaurant visit ". The scheme includes features for the differentiation example of a restaurant from a train station, and features from related processes, such as for example, read the menu, order, food intake, ask for invoice. Such a restaurant schema controls the expectations of the people, directs his perception and controls its actions and interactions. When acquiring this scheme, it is still designed simply, later it can be differentiated on a wide variety of domestic and international restaurants, with distinctions among themselves. Schemes can not only absorb information, interpret and transform it into knowledge, they can also be used as an instrument of systematic search for suitable information. Man Suspected example, there could be a single building to a restaurant, he might look for a menu in a poster to prove his conjecture.

General operation of schemes

• Schemes can be explicitly or implicitly enabled. One way to explicitly enable schemes would be to think about the content of the scheme; an implicit possibility is the processing of information, which includes the scheme. For example, it is possible to activate the scheme " aggression " by a person over aggressiveness thinking (explicit), but also when the person is a story about aggressive behavior of another person reads ( implicit).
• Accessibility, that is, the ease of activation schemes is dependent on the frequency of use. So are frequently used schemes more accessible than not as frequently used. Easily accessible (ie, easily activated ) schemes tend to be used for interpretation of information from the environment as difficult activated.
• Schemes are independent cognitive entities. If a schema is activated, it does not mean that a scheme having similar content, is also activated.
• Schemes include information and can influence the interpretation of information. Ambiguous information is thus interpreted by means of the activated schema. If at someone for instance, a person with a bald head the scheme " skinhead " is activated, for example, the person's behavior is based on the information, the " skinhead " is included in the schema interpreted. This effect is called "assimilation".
• Schemes can attention, depending on the circumstances, draw on schema consistent information or to schemainkonsistente information. Activated schemes can affect the recall of information, if the actual memory of an event is not unique.

Perseveranz

Even if someone already knows that a schema is wrong, it will still keep them as long as possible, a so-called Perseveranzeffekt. So knowledge is not in receipt of information, but in their installation in existing schemes, so their inclusion in the implicit memory. In the classic experiment by Ross, Lepper, and Hubbard (1975 ) subjects were initially led to believe that they had cut in a test better than average (success feedback) or worse than the average ( failure feedback ). Then they were informed that this feedback was fictitious. In the actual test phase, the subjects were asked to estimate now, a) how well they actually were in the test and b ) how well it would cut a further test. Both self-assessments were found to be consistent with the purely random feedback on the first test.

If one's own behavior contributes to Perseveranz a schema, one also speaks of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Cognitive Psychology

In the knowledge psychology Mandl and Spada schemas define as "knowledge structures " that are based on experiences and represent " typical contexts of reality area ."

After that schemes can be described by six characteristics:

• Schemas are cognitive structures for general knowledge in memory. Within these structures shows how this knowledge is represented. Schemes organize typical relationships from the realm of reality.
• Schemes have " spaces" that can be filled with different values ​​.
• Schemes can be interlocked.
• Schemes have episodic and generic knowledge.
• In addition to a structure diagrams also own a strong process component.
• The knowledge represented in schemas is not limited to individual content areas.

As with Quinn and Holland, as schemes of perception and action schemas can be distinguished from each other in general. As " models of the world," they involve interpretation and explanation of knowledge. As " models for the world to" include knowledge for solving problems and for action.

Levels of representation

The mapping of events in memory of the people is called representation. The schemes are used to convert the perceived through the sense organs information.

In addition to the innate representations as blink reflex and language skills can according to Karl- Heinz Flechsig in four levels of representation are learned based on schemas, divided into:

Social Aspects of schemes

Schemes are shown individually, but can not be viewed in isolation from the social aspects. Very generalized can be doing all schemes surveys by three aspects:

• How widespread these schemes are among the members of a society?
• As a matter of course these schemes are among the members of society?
• What is the meaning for the members of this society comes to schemes for world understanding and behavior?

Alternate terms

Since mid- 1980, the scientific processing of schema theories found in different scientific disciplines attention. This is done with contributions from the field of psychology, linguistics, computer science ( artificial intelligence research ), neurophysiology and the theory of knowledge. The use of language and the theory have a wide variety and there are no uniform definition of schema theory. For scheme similar terms are " script ", " model ", " pattern ", "Scenario ", "Context - module ", " frame " or " prototype ". The different theories can use the schema construct differently depending on the specific subject. In the core statement (after Mandl p. 124) are schemata knowledge structures in which, based on experience typical contexts of reality area are represented. Similarities in the joint adoption of several stages or levels of education scheme, which is predominantly assumed a connection or networking with each other.