{"id":10567,"date":"2017-11-29T10:33:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T01:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ibpsych.themantic-education.com\/?p=10567"},"modified":"2020-07-28T08:37:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T23:37:51","slug":"schema-theory-a-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"Schema Theory: A Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><em>Updated, July 2020<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Schema theory is perhaps the most difficult theory in psychology to comprehend. But once you understand it, you&#8217;ll see the effects of schema everywhere. In this post, we&#8217;ll break down the theory step-by-step.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What is schema theory?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Schema theory\u2019s central claim is that our knowledge of the world is organized and categorized, which can influence our cognition and behaviour.\u00a0Unlike other theories in psychology, schema theory isn\u2019t attributable to a single psychologist but has had many contributions from various psychologists over almost 100 years of research. Some of the most notable contributors include Bartlett, Piaget and Vygotsky.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12433\" style=\"width: 730px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12433\" class=\"wp-image-12433 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary2.jpg?resize=720%2C405&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary2.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary2.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary2.jpg?resize=100%2C56&amp;ssl=1 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Like a filing cabinet keeps information categorized, schema theory claims that our mind organizes our knowledge and memories to make them easily accessible.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Read More:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/12\/05\/schema-theory-and-stereotypes\/\">Schema Theory and Stereotypes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2019\/02\/25\/key-study-leading-questions-and-the-misinformation-effect-the-car-crash-study-loftus-and-palmer-1974\/\">Key Study: Leading questions and the misinformation effect \u2013 \u201d the car crash study\u201d (Loftus and Palmer, 1974)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/10\/24\/lets-make-a-d-e-a-l-evaluating-theories-in-three-simple-steps\/\">Let\u2019s make a D.E.A.L \u2013 evaluating theories in three simple steps<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>What is a schema?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A <strong>schema <\/strong>is a cluster of knowledge or memory that is stored in the mind. They\u2019re also called \u201ccognitive frameworks\u201d as they are a system for categorizing and organizing information and memory.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>The metaphor I use to explain a &#8220;schema&#8221; is to imagine your mind is a filing cabinet, or your computer&#8217;s hard-drive. Schemas are like the individual files.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_12434\" style=\"width: 730px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12434\" class=\"wp-image-12434 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary.jpg?resize=720%2C405&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Schema-Theory-A-Summary.jpg?resize=100%2C56&amp;ssl=1 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12434\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you think of your mind like a computer, a schema is a folder and individual bits of knowledge and memories are the files.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>What are the characteristics and functions of schema? (These are the key claims of schema theory).<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Along with the existence of schema, another central claim of schema theory is that their function is to help us make sense of the complex world of information that we live in. They also enable us to make generalizations about situations, people and places. Stereotypes are an example of a social schema and how we can generalize about groups of people to save our cognitive energy.<\/p>\n<p><em>This video of mine on our ThemEd youtube channel gives a detailed summary of all the points in this post.<\/em><\/p>\n<div  class=\"x-video embed with-container\" ><div class=\"x-video-inner\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/37_jM6lIFf8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>How can schema influence our thinking and\/or our behaviour?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_12431\" style=\"width: 171px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.themantic-education.com\/collections\/ib-psychology\/products\/ib-psychology-a-revision-guide\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12431\" class=\"wp-image-12431\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/Cover-design-revision-guide-web.jpg?resize=161%2C218&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"161\" height=\"218\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12431\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our Revision Guide has a full summary of schema theory and related studies for IB Psych students and teachers.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One way schemas can influence cognition is that they can affect our ability to comprehend new information. When we\u2019re exposed to new information we relate it to our existing knowledge (our schemas) and this can improve our comprehension of that information (as seen in Bransford and Johnson\u2019s study).<\/p>\n<p>This process of relating new information to existing schema can also influence our processing of new information and can lead to confirmation bias. If we have an existing stereotype (social schema) about a group of people, we use this schema when we&#8217;re processing new information and we might tend to focus only on details that are consistent with our schema, since this is cognitively easier. This means that we might focus on and remember details of someone that are consistent with our existing stereotype, which is how stereotypes might be reinforced. This is seen in Cohen\u2019s study using the waitress\/librarian paradigm.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>This Crash Course video called &#8220;The Growth of Knowledge&#8221; has some more explanations about schemas. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8nz2dtv--ok\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Link<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What are the applications of schema theory?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>From the above examples we can see that ideas related to schema theory have multiple applications. Education and especially literacy (reading and writing skills) researchers use many elements of schema theory in their research. By understanding how existing knowledge can influence comprehension of new information could help design better reading programmes and help kids develop better reading comprehension skills.<\/p>\n<p>We can also use schema theory to explain how stereotypes might affect our behaviour. While the examples above may not provide a great explanation for the origin of stereotypes, they do show how they could lead to confirmation bias, which might serve to strengthen and reinforce existing stereotypes.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What are the limitations of schema theory?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A good theory should be testable. What factors may influence how easy it is to test claims of schema theory?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Exam Tip:\u00a0<\/strong>When asked to describe schema theory students often make the mistake of skimming over the theory and focusing on the studies &#8211; make sure you can fully describe the theory as well as be able to explain how it can be supported by studies.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Three Levels of Thinking about Schema Theory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In order to <em><strong>describe<\/strong> <\/em>schema theory accurately, you need to know:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">What is schema theory?\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">What is a schema?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">What are the characteristics and functions of schema? (These are the key claims of schema theory).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">How can schema influence our thinking and\/or our behaviour?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In order to <em><strong>explain<\/strong> <\/em>schema theory, you need to understand:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">How can claims of schema theory be demonstrated in studies?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In order to\u00a0<em><strong>evaluate\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>schema theory, you need to be able to explain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What are the applications of schema theory?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What are the limitations of schema theory?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated, July 2020 Schema theory is perhaps the most difficult theory in psychology to comprehend. But once you understand it, you&#8217;ll see the effects of schema everywhere. In this post, we&#8217;ll break down the theory step-by-step.\u00a0 What is schema theory? Schema theory\u2019s central claim is that our knowledge of the world is organized and categorized, which can influence our cognition &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cognitive-psychology","category-studies-and-theories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Schema Theory: A Summary | The IB Psychology Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Schema Theory: A Summary | The IB Psychology Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The IB Psychology Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/themanticeducation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-29T01:33:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-27T23:37:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"3000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Travis Dixon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Travis Dixon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Travis Dixon\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/de20f76afd22df7d71e141ab515c0827\"},\"headline\":\"Schema Theory: A Summary\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-29T01:33:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-27T23:37:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":867,\"commentCount\":8,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Cognitive Psychology\",\"Studies and Theories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/\",\"name\":\"Schema Theory: A Summary | The IB Psychology Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-29T01:33:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-27T23:37:51+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1\",\"width\":3000,\"height\":3000,\"caption\":\"Schema theory's primary claim is that our mind has mental frameworks that help organize information - these are schemas. These schemas help us to save our cognitive energy when processing the millions of pieces of information we encounter every day.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/29\\\/schema-theory-a-summary\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Schema Theory: A Summary\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/\",\"name\":\"IB Psychology\",\"description\":\"by Themantic Education\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Themantic Education\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/them-ed-logo.png?fit=1465%2C1858&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/them-ed-logo.png?fit=1465%2C1858&ssl=1\",\"width\":1465,\"height\":1858,\"caption\":\"Themantic Education\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/themanticeducation\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/youtube.com\\\/c\\\/themanticeducation\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/de20f76afd22df7d71e141ab515c0827\",\"name\":\"Travis Dixon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6ee7465953db9edfb653802c2423ee0be4456f3cf73a4ae4032bdda760a9a5e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6ee7465953db9edfb653802c2423ee0be4456f3cf73a4ae4032bdda760a9a5e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6ee7465953db9edfb653802c2423ee0be4456f3cf73a4ae4032bdda760a9a5e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Travis Dixon\"},\"description\":\"Travis Dixon has been teaching for over 20 years and is an experienced IB Psychology, History and English teacher, author, workshop leader and examiner\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.themantic-education.com\\\/ibpsych\\\/author\\\/tdixon\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Schema Theory: A Summary | The IB Psychology Blog","description":"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Schema Theory: A Summary | The IB Psychology Blog","og_description":"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/","og_site_name":"The IB Psychology Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/themanticeducation\/","article_published_time":"2017-11-29T01:33:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-27T23:37:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":3000,"height":3000,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Travis Dixon","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Travis Dixon","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/"},"author":{"name":"Travis Dixon","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#\/schema\/person\/de20f76afd22df7d71e141ab515c0827"},"headline":"Schema Theory: A Summary","datePublished":"2017-11-29T01:33:38+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-27T23:37:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/"},"wordCount":867,"commentCount":8,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","articleSection":["Cognitive Psychology","Studies and Theories"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/","url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/","name":"Schema Theory: A Summary | The IB Psychology Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","datePublished":"2017-11-29T01:33:38+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-27T23:37:51+00:00","description":"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","width":3000,"height":3000,"caption":"Schema theory's primary claim is that our mind has mental frameworks that help organize information - these are schemas. These schemas help us to save our cognitive energy when processing the millions of pieces of information we encounter every day."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/11\/29\/schema-theory-a-summary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Schema Theory: A Summary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/","name":"IB Psychology","description":"by Themantic Education","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#organization","name":"Themantic Education","url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/them-ed-logo.png?fit=1465%2C1858&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/them-ed-logo.png?fit=1465%2C1858&ssl=1","width":1465,"height":1858,"caption":"Themantic Education"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/themanticeducation\/","https:\/\/youtube.com\/c\/themanticeducation\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/#\/schema\/person\/de20f76afd22df7d71e141ab515c0827","name":"Travis Dixon","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ee7465953db9edfb653802c2423ee0be4456f3cf73a4ae4032bdda760a9a5e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ee7465953db9edfb653802c2423ee0be4456f3cf73a4ae4032bdda760a9a5e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ee7465953db9edfb653802c2423ee0be4456f3cf73a4ae4032bdda760a9a5e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Travis Dixon"},"description":"Travis Dixon has been teaching for over 20 years and is an experienced IB Psychology, History and English teacher, author, workshop leader and examiner","url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/author\/tdixon\/"}]}},"yoast":{"focuskw":"schema theory","title":"","metadesc":"Discover how schema theory organizes our knowledge and influences our thinking and behavior. Learn its applications and limitations in this comprehensive overview. Updated July 2020.","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","meta-robots-noindex":"","meta-robots-nofollow":"","meta-robots-adv":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","opengraph-title":"","opengraph-description":"","opengraph-image":"","twitter-title":"","twitter-description":"","twitter-image":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10580,"url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/12\/05\/schema-theory-and-stereotypes\/","url_meta":{"origin":10567,"position":0},"title":"Schema Theory and Stereotypes","author":"Travis Dixon","date":"12\/05\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"One way to explain how stereotypes are formed is to use the claims of schema theory. To recap, schema theory argues that we organize information in our mind by unconsciously creating categories (these categories are the schemas). We do this because we encounter millions of units of information on a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Social and Cultural Psychology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Social and Cultural Psychology","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/category\/social-and-cultural-psychology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-176821423.jpg?fit=900%2C651&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-176821423.jpg?fit=900%2C651&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-176821423.jpg?fit=900%2C651&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-176821423.jpg?fit=900%2C651&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10604,"url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/12\/10\/schema-theory-teaching-resources\/","url_meta":{"origin":10567,"position":1},"title":"Schema Theory Teaching Resources","author":"Travis Dixon","date":"12\/10\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The first topic in Social Influence Part II (support pack coming soon) is Schema Theory. This topic comes after learning about SIT and the out-group homogeneity effect as the latter is closely related to schema theory, an both topics deal with stereotypes. Here's the first pages of the student workbook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cognitive Psychology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cognitive Psychology","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/category\/cognitive-psychology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-135115547.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15331,"url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2025\/06\/16\/mr-dixons-saq-learning-outcomes-for-ib-psychology\/","url_meta":{"origin":10567,"position":2},"title":"Mr Dixon&#8217;s SAQ Learning Outcomes for IB Psychology","author":"Travis Dixon","date":"06\/16\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Learning outcomes guide teaching and learning. For teachers, they tell us what we need to teach. For students, they guide revision for the exams.\u00a0 While writing exam tips for IB Psychology, I found the IB's learning objectives in the guide quite misleading in some ways (read more here). This is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/bigstock-Planning-And-Organizing-With-P-6948557.jpg?fit=900%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/bigstock-Planning-And-Organizing-With-P-6948557.jpg?fit=900%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/bigstock-Planning-And-Organizing-With-P-6948557.jpg?fit=900%2C363&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/bigstock-Planning-And-Organizing-With-P-6948557.jpg?fit=900%2C363&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10594,"url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2017\/12\/09\/lesson-ideas-schema-theory\/","url_meta":{"origin":10567,"position":3},"title":"Lesson Ideas: Schema Theory","author":"Travis Dixon","date":"12\/09\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The first step in teaching schema theory is getting students to comprehend the abstract concept of \"schemas\" in the first place. In my experience, takes a couple of lessons at least. In our ThemEd Facebook group for IB Psychology Teachers (Join Here) I recently asked our members for some help\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cognitive Psychology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cognitive Psychology","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/category\/cognitive-psychology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-lights-of-thought-203503852.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-lights-of-thought-203503852.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-lights-of-thought-203503852.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/bigstock-lights-of-thought-203503852.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13081,"url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2020\/07\/28\/key-study-schema-theory-the-superwoman-self-schema\/","url_meta":{"origin":10567,"position":4},"title":"Key Study: Schema Theory &#038; the Superwoman Self-schema","author":"Travis Dixon","date":"07\/28\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Schema theory is one of the most important theories in cognitive psychology, but it can also be one of the more difficult theories to understand. The best way, I've found, to understand schema theory is to look at as many real-life examples as possible. In this post, we'll look at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cognitive Psychology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cognitive Psychology","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/category\/cognitive-psychology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/07\/bigstock-women-s-power-and-people-conce-364656880.jpg?fit=900%2C605&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/07\/bigstock-women-s-power-and-people-conce-364656880.jpg?fit=900%2C605&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/07\/bigstock-women-s-power-and-people-conce-364656880.jpg?fit=900%2C605&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/07\/bigstock-women-s-power-and-people-conce-364656880.jpg?fit=900%2C605&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14598,"url":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2022\/12\/05\/essay-introductions-how-to-write-the-perfect-essay-introduction-for-ib-psych-exams\/","url_meta":{"origin":10567,"position":5},"title":"Essay Introductions: How to write the perfect essay introduction for IB Psych exams.","author":"Travis Dixon","date":"12\/05\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This post will show you four easy steps you can apply to any\u00a0exam question to write the perfect introduction. Scroll to the bottom for a simple practice tip. First impressions matter, especially in your IB exams. You're writing essays in IB Psych to show what an excellent psychologist you are,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Revision and Exam Preparation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Revision and Exam Preparation","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/category\/revision-and-exam-preparation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/bigstock-Editing-Essay-Content-On-Paper-448474738.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/bigstock-Editing-Essay-Content-On-Paper-448474738.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/bigstock-Editing-Essay-Content-On-Paper-448474738.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/bigstock-Editing-Essay-Content-On-Paper-448474738.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10567"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13088,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10567\/revisions\/13088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}