|
Table of Contents for:
8. Cognitivism: Advanced organizers and schema theory |
Your location： Home Page > (3) Three major trends of learning psychology > 8. Cognitivism: Advanced organizers and schema theory
> Schema theory
◆Schema theory◆A schema means a psychological entity supposed as a unit module to construct knowledge. The term originates from schema, conceptualized by J. Piaget, a developmental psychologist in 1920s. As cognitive psychology developed, it was re-examined to have a great influence on psychological research from the 1980s. The term schema, which is also used in an IT field to mean database management methods, is quite different from Schema used in psychology. However, they are in some ways similar since they have both slot structures, instances contained in a slot and instance defaults (a selection automatically used in the absence of a choice made by the user). They are also similar in that schema itself has a nested structure and attributes are inherited. You can grasp the meaning more easily if you consider it as the same term is used in a different context. Various experiments have proved that a schema plays an important role when humans understand information. By "activating" schemas, people "predict the subsequent scene and read between the lines while they recall the past experiences associated with schemas. It is also considered that a schema has a function of "foreseeing what is going to happen subsequently." A student who recalled Christianity as an Advance Organizer is considered to deepen his/her understanding of Buddhism in a way that he presumes Buddhism and Christianity have something in common, and XXX of Buddhism is the same as YYY of Christianity thanks to Christianity schema (or, more generally, Religion schema). When we go to a fancy French restaurant, for example, we can have dinner at ease because we can foresee that an hors d'oeuvre is served first and then the soup. This is owed to Restaurant schema that we have created from our past experiences. If you have never been to a fancy French restaurant or if you have no knowledge of the typical order of dishes, then you would have no idea of what is to be served next. This is explained as you do not have any Restaurant schemas yet. Next, let's confirm the function of schemas. The passage below was used in an experiment of Bransford and Johnson, a standard text of schema research. I would like you to read the following passage and imagine what it is talking about. A newspaper is better than a magazine. A seashore is a better place than the street. At first it is better to run than to walk. You may have to try several times. It takes some skill but it's easy to learn. Even young children can enjoy it. Once successful, complications are minimal. Birds seldom get too close. Rain, however, soaks in very fast. Too many people doing the same thing can also cause problems. One needs lots of room. If there are no complications, it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an anchor. If things break loose from it, however, you will not get a second chance. (Nishibayashi, 2006, p.45, from Bransford & Johnson, 1972) Do you understand what the story above is about? This is a story of making and flying a kite. Once you know what it talks about, that may sound right to you. In other words, the activation of a Kite-flying schema helps you understand the story. One more try? What is the next passage talking about? 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 be used once more and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life. (Bransford & Johnson, 1972) Needless to say, this is a story about [laundry]. Once you understand it, you may feel happy. This is due to the "laundryschema" we have. (Note: Drag it if you want to see the correct answer, but think hard before dragging.)
 Sources
|