What are schemas, and why are they often adaptive?

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: Schemas are cognitive structures that we use to organize our knowledge of the social world. Schemas are adaptive in providing continuity and in helping us relate new experiences to old experiences. They enable us to minimize cognitive effort. They are especially useful when we encounter ambiguous information, for they give us a cognitive structure with which to interpret the confusing information.

Psychology

You might also like to view...

According to Piaget, which of these is an example of egocentric thinking?

a. The child describes an object but cannot say how it would look from a different angle. b. The child explains things in simpler terms to a younger child than to an adult c. The child refuses to share toys with another child. d. The child exaggerates his or her accomplishments.

Psychology

Stan and his wife agree that children should always mind their parents with no questions asked. When their daughter ignores them, they immediately give her a light spanking and say loudly, "Now what did I ask you to do? Do it now!" The parenting style that best fits them is __________.

A. authoritarian B. authoritative C. permissive D. disengaged

Psychology

In the 1950s, Henri Laborit encouraged his psychiatric colleagues to try phenothiazines on their psychotic patients. What led him to make this suggestion?

a. ?The drugs diminished repetitive behaviors in rats. b. ?The drugs produced a calming effect on surgical patients. c. ?The drugs decreased manic behavior in bipolar patients. d. ?The drugs blocked the hallucinogenic effect of psychedelic drugs.

Psychology

Dropoff administration of a survey would be most likely done with a group whose members are likely to be

a. at the same place at the same time b. at the same place at different times c. located in several different places d. without fixed addresses

Psychology