Schema Theory

• A schema is a mental representation (patterns of thinking) that helps us organize and interpret information. Schemas hold all the information we assimilate over the course of our lives, whether they were obtained by direct personal experience (going somewhere/watching media) or contact with others. We can have schemas for tangible things like a cat or house, or for abstract concepts like freedom and love.
• Schemas can be separated into frame (details and characteristics of an item, person, or object) and script schemas (sequences we expect to occur when we take part in an event or experience)
• Schemas can be adapted according to experience. If we meet someone that is homeschooled, our "school" schema will accommodate this information.
• A person's schemas aren't right or wrong, as they are subjective. People's schemas may overlap but will never be identical, since they're built on individual experience.
• Because a schema is a set of ideas and beliefs we have about people, places, and ideas, they may cause distorted memories. When we experience an event, schematic activation occurs to guide our expectations of that events - this can contribute to stereotypes, which can create a biased recall of the event (reconstructive memory !!)