Another distinct way we can remember information is through Schemas. We can
define Schemas as a mental framework that develops from our experiences with
particular people, objects or events. In other words you can think of schemas
as framework for representing some aspects of the world. That tells us how
people, objects or events are most likely to look like or act like. Schemas
influence our attention, and the absorption of new knowledge. In fact, we're
more likely to notice things that fit into our schema once we have a schema
formed. So they help us to understand and organize experiences. They can also
aid in our memory and recall. However, it's important to note that schemas have
a tendency to remain unchanged. Even if we're presented with new information
that contradicts our schema. Let's say you have a schema of a college
professor, that is, you have a conceptual idea of what a professor looks like.
Perhaps if they're a man or a woman, how old they are. How tall they are or how
they dress. So, it may be that someone's schema for a professor is that they're
old. They wear sports jackets with patches in the elbows, they have glasses,
they carry a briefcase, they're male and other identifying features of a
professor. So, if that's a person's schema for a professor, research shows that
if he or she is presented with new information that is contradictory of that
schema. For example, if being a young woman who dresses rather casually,
carrying a back pack rather than a brief case and so on. The person with the
developed schema will be less likely to remember the female professor. So
schemas can aid in our ability to remember, but they also bias our memory and
our perception.
