Types of schemas

Context

Humans are social animals. Meaning, we live in communities and depend on each other.

However, with the large number of people around us, objects and new events we see all the time, the brain needed to find a way to process them without overheating.

These are what we call assumptions.

Psychologists have found many different ways we make assumptions daily such as attributions and cognitive short cuts.

Cognitive short cuts are methods we use to process information without spending too much time and energy on it. There are many types of cognitive short cuts, for example : schemas, heuristics and availability.

Schemas

Schemas are categories of knowledge we use when processing.

When we see something, we try to put it into a schema. This schema, which holds the information from our prior experiences with similar events or objects, will provide the details for it.

This is why we are able to assume we know about something without having to look at it carefully.

An example of a schema is a stereotype. For example, when we meet someone and are told they are from Japan, we may automatically assume that they are very polite.

What kind of schemas are there ?

There are 5 types of schemas in total.

The first is a person schema.

This is a schema we have about a specific person. We may have a person schema about a friend, for example, Friend A is a funny and energetic person.

The second type of schema is a role schema.

This is held against people who are in certain positions or jobs.

An example would be that we assume a doctor is rich and intelligent or that a boxer is aggressive.

The third is event schemas. These are also called scripts.

This, unlike the first two, isn’t about people but about specific situations. They tell us what to do when someone places their hand in front of you or when someone is talking.

The answers are, shake their hands and listen to them/ don’t talk.

The fourth is called a self schema.

This one is a schema about yourself. When you describe your personality, you are simply talking about your self schemas.

The last one is a bit harder to understand.

It is a content free schema.

A content free schema, is like a theory you have of the world around you, how you think things happen or behave.

For example, if your friend likes person A, then you must like person A too or if something god happened to you, something bad will soon happen.

They are schemas that don’t fall into the four categories above.

How schemas are created

Schemas are made of the experiences you have had with a certain object, person, situation… Even those that aren’t remembered.

Being told about something without experiencing it can also become part of a schema.

With time, humans create a large number of schemas. To be able to use them, they need to be well organised.

It is said that schemas are organised in a hierarchical manner with subgroups.

For example, in the schema, category of men, you may have the subtypes such as brother, father, professional athlete or colleague. In professional athlete, you might have schemas for athletes of different sports. The list goes on.

The categories are completely different from one person to another depending on their interest, jobs, cultures and many more factors.

An athlete may have specific schemas about each type of athlete while someone who isn’t interested in sports might simply think of all athletes in the same way, the “athlete” schema.

The more someone learns about something, the more the schema will develop by becoming richer in context and more specific.

The ideal person, object of a certain schema is called a prototype.

Next Part : Schemas, use and relation with time

Part 3 : Biases, emotions and how we make impressions

Part 4 : Attributions. What and why

Part 5 : Attributions in different contexts and styles

Part 6 : Attribution biases