schemas

• schema - person's beliefs or expectations
• Schema are 'packages' of ideas and information developed through experience. They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system.
• Schema enable us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental shortcut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
• As we get older, our schema become more detailed and sophisticated
• However, schema may also distort our interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors