Schema

Types of Schemas:

- Person Schema - Role Schema - Event Schema - Self Schema

Schema-inconsistent information:

-Schema-irrelevant info= tends to be forgotten or ignored -Schema-consistent= processed quickly. Easily recalled & used pervasively -Schema-inconsistent- contradicts schema expectations

More factors that affect schema use

-Important outcomes -Rewards and punishment -costs of being wrong -distraction & anxiety-causes people to rely more on schematic processing -individual differences

Schema development:

-Over time -Become more abstract, complex & organised -More resilient, incorporate exceptions that threaten validity -Generally become more accurate -ppl resistant to schema dis-confirming info

What determines schema use Vividness= an intrinsic property of stimulus that makes it stand out and attract attention

-emotionally interesting -concrete or image provoking -close to you in time or place Research into vividness has not confirmed that vivid stimuli attract attention. effects of vividness can often be attributed to other factors that co-occur

How do schema work? Two basic stages: 1) Identification = assigning schema to target 2) Application = processing info according to schema Once activated, top-down processing occurs rather than bottom-up (Rumelhart & Ortony, 1977)

Application of schema: 1) Selective encoding 2) Selective retrieval 3) Interpretation

Schema inconsistent info. can be handled differently due to individual differences Personal need for Structure (PNS)= some people desire more structure and this may influence their thinking

Malgorzata et al. (2014) -people and events that disconfirm schema can increase creativity, but sometimes these violations can increase rigidity of thought -asked to form impression of female and male mechanics -ppl low in PNS showed better creative performance, and vice versa.

Schema definition: -A set of interrelated cognitions that allow us to quickly make sense of a person, event or situation on the basis of limited information.(Hogg & Vaughn, 2008)

Or: - general term that describes mental structures that allow us to organise knowledge about many things such as ourselves, other people, specific events and social roles that help us to easily interpret the social world. (Aronson, Akert & Wilson, 2014)

What determines schema use?Accessibility through schema priming= activation of accessible schemas in memory that influence how we process new info.

Research for priming- Political mind-sets (Bryan, Dweck et al. 2009) -Students do Q.aire about their opinion on a number of political issues. -first asked to write about themselves, with questions having either good fortune (chance, opportunity) or personal merit (hard work) priming - two types of priming relate to two different political parties -priming schemas prior affect political ideals

Schema Change can happen if schema is really inaccurate:

Rothbart's 3-process model (1981) -Bookingkeeping= gradual schema change through accumulating schema-inconsistent info -Conversion model= sudden schema change as consequence of gradual accumulation of Schema-inconsistent info - Subtyping model= structure of schema changes and subcategories can form to accommodate inconsistent info

What determines schema use? Saliency= property of the stimulus that makes it stand out in relation to other stimuli and attract attention

Salient features can determine or cue schema use: -Distinctive features (physical appearance) -Contextually distinctive feature (man in group of women, assumed gay) -Primacy effect= schema based on earlier info -person acting in a way that does not fit prior expectations