User:Lancemason7/Schema (psychology)

''Schema is the brain's ability to obtain and retrieve information in an organized manner (CITATION REQUIRED). This allows us to keep a vast (what? amount?) of knowledge within our mind and access it as needed, because it is naturally stored in categories.'' ''magine schema as the brain's way to read, digest, and store graphics. This allows the brain to keep information organized and up-to-date. IST''

In psychology and cognitive science, a schema (plural schemata or schemas) describes a pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them. It can also be described as a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a framework representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organizing and perceiving new information, such as a mental schema or conceptual model. Schema is the brain's ability to obtain and retrieve information in an organized manner '. This allows us to keep of knowledge within our mind and access it as needed, because it is naturally stored in categories. Imagine schema as the brain's way to read, digest, and store graphics'''. This allows the brain to keep information organized and up-to-date.''Schemata influence attention and the absorption of new knowledge: people are more likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while re-interpreting contradictions to the schema as exceptions or distorting them to fit. Schemata have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory information. Schemata can help in understanding the world and the rapidly changing environment. People can organize new perceptions into schemata quickly as most situations do not require complex thought when using schema, since automatic thought is all that is required.

People use schemata to organize current knowledge and provide a framework for future understanding. Examples of schemata include mental models, social schemas, stereotypes, social roles, scripts, worldviews, heuristics, and archetypes. In Piaget's theory of development, children construct a series of schemata, based on the interactions they experience, to help them understand the world.