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schemas
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Schema Theory | The idea that knowledge is organized into mental frameworks that guide perception, memory, and behavior. |
| Cognitive maps (Tolman) | Internal mental representations used for goal-directed behavior. |
| Assimilation | Fitting new information into existing schemas. |
| Accommodation | Changing schemas when new information contradicts them. |
| Scripts | Schemas for sequences of events. |
| Self-schema | Mental representation about oneself. |
| Stereotype schema | Generalized beliefs about groups of people. |
| Tolman (1948) cognitive map | Rats showed goal-directed learning, not just conditioning. |
| Bower, Black & Turner (1979) | Participants filled missing story details to match scripts. |
| Brewer & Treyens (1981) | Participants recalled schema-consistent office items they didn't see. |
| Schema advantages | Save time, fill gaps, allow fast decisions. |
| Schema disadvantages | Cause distortions, false memories, and stereotypes. |
| Reconstructive memory | Memory is influenced and reshaped by existing schemas. |