schema007

Eric Lindblom

Harvard

General

System

Theory

Schema:

---

Moving toward a theory of Universal Systems, General Systems Theory Squared (GST2) attempts to take a long look at three schemata: specific or special, general and unified theory.

Lindblom

Harvard University

http://h2o.law.harvard.edu/ViewProject.do?projectID=515

A schema (pl. schemata), in psychology and cognitive science, is a mental structure that represents some aspect of the world.

People use schemata to organize current knowledge and provide a framework for future understanding.

Examples of schemata include rubrics, stereotypes, social roles, scripts, worldviews, and archetypes.

In Piaget's theory of development, children adopt a series of schemas to understand the world.

http://www.answers.com/topic/schema-psychology

Piaget defined a schema as the mental representation of an associated set of perceptions, ideas, and/or actions. Piaget considered schemata to be the basic building blocks of thinking (Woolfolk, 1987).

A schema can be discrete and specific, or sequential and elaborate.

For example, a schema may be as specific as recognizing a dog, or as elaborate as categorizing different types of dogs.

As cognitive development proceeds, new schemata are developed, and existing schemata are more efficiently organized to better adapt to the environment.

Cognitive development becomes evident through changes in behavior as this adaptation takes place.

Piaget and Cognitive Development by Kakali Bhattacharya and Seungyeon Han

http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/Piaget.htm

Reference: Woolfolk, A.E. (1987). Educational Psychology (3rd Ed). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall