A Schema Provides A format which new information must fit into order to be understood. A plan for directing attention and conducting purposeful searches for information. A resource for filling in gaps in information.

When Mary arrived at the restaurant, the woman at the door greeted her and checked for her name. A few minutes later, Mary was escorted to her chair and was shown the day’s menu. The attendant was helpful but brusque, almost to the point of being rude. Later, as she was paying, the woman asked her if everything was to her satisfaction. Mary said it was all right and left.

Jane decided not to wear her matching silver necklace, earrings and belt because she was going to airport.

Alex slowly got up from the mat, planning his escape Alex slowly got up from the mat, planning his escape. He hesitated a moment and thought. Things were not going well. What bothered him most was being held, especially since the charge against him had been weak. He considered his present situation. The lock that held him was strong but he thought he could break it. He knew, however, that his timing would have to be perfect. Alex was aware that it was because of his early roughness that he had been penalized so severely– much too severely from his point of view. The situation was becoming frustrating; the pressure had been grinding on him for too long. He was being ridden unmercifully. He knew that his success or failure would depend on what he did in the next few seconds.

The procedure is actually quite simple The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step, otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important, but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one never can tell. After the procedure is completed one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will used once more and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is a part of life.

A Short Quiz What do you do first? Why would you go someplace else? Why is it better to do too few things than too many? What do you do when the procedures is completed? What happens eventually?

e= gX – g[N – X] = g[2X – N] The value of e is exactly determined by X, the number of influences in operation at the moment, and the probability associated with any value of e must be the same as for the corresponding value of X. If N is very large, then the distribution of e must approach a normal distribution.

The man was worried. His car came to a halt and he was all alone The man was worried. His car came to a halt and he was all alone. It was extremely dark and cold. The man took off his overcoat, rolled down the window, and got out of the car as quickly as possible. Then he used all his strength to move as fast as he could. He was relieved when he finally saw the lights of the city, even though they were far away.

He stood perfectly still alert to the sounds of the woods. His attention focused on the sounds of his approaching prey. As the delicate footsteps approached, saliva dripped from his sharp teeth. Soon he was able to see the little girl and her red hooded jacket.

Six Functions of Schemata Provides ideational scaffolding for assimilating information. Facilitates selective allocation of attention. Enables inferential elaboration. Allows orderly searches of memory. Facilitates editing and summarizing. Permits inferential reconstruction. Richard Anderson, (1978)