Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Impact of Schemas

Impact of Schemas

Schemas are cognitive structures that provide a framework for interpreting and organizing social information. They help individuals navigate complex environments by offering expectations about people, events, and behaviors. Schemas influence attention, encoding, and retrieval processes, thereby shaping the entire trajectory of information processing in social contexts.Attention and Cognitive LoadDuring initial attention, schemas function as filters that prioritize schema-consistent information,...

Schemas

Schemas

A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.

Storage

Storage

A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...

Schemata

Schemata

A schema is a mental construct that organizes related concepts, allowing the brain to process information efficiently. Upon activation, schemata facilitate assumptions about people or objects.
Two types of schemata are:

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Coping Information Affects Older and Young Adults' Security Update Decisions.

Psychological reports·2025

Same author

Judicial instructions on alibis: impact on mock jury decision-making.

Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law·2025

Same author

The Otter and the Cleaver: Exploring the Neural Underpinnings of Unitization Using the Gestalt Principle of Proximity.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2025

Same author

Implementing injury prevention strategies in community-based youth football: The role of parents, coaches, and organizational leaders.

PloS one·2025

Same author

Oncology Provider and Patient Perspectives on a Cardiovascular Health Assessment Tool Used During Posttreatment Survivorship Care in Community Oncology (Results from WF-1804CD): Mixed Methods Observational Study.

Journal of medical Internet research·2025

Same author

Multilevel factors influence the use of a cardiovascular disease assessment tool embedded in the electronic health record in oncology care.

Translational behavioral medicine·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Age differences and schema effects in memory for crime information.

Amy A Overman¹, Kimberly D Wiseman, Meredith Allison

¹Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina 27244, USA. aoverman@elon.edu

Experimental Aging Research

|February 21, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Older adults show increased reliance on schemas when recalling crime details, potentially impacting legal judgments. This age-related memory difference may influence how evidence is processed in the criminal justice system.

More Related Videos

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Legal Psychology

Background:

Aging is associated with increased reliance on schema- and stereotype-based memory processing.
Previous research has explored schema-based processing in legal contexts but not specifically for crime details among older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate age-related differences in memory for crime information.
To examine schema effects on older adults' memory for specific crime details.

Main Methods:

Compared memory recall for crime details between older adults (65-93) and young adults (18-22).
Participants read about a suspect's background (good/bad childhood) and a crime report (incriminating/exonerating/neutral details).
Assessed recognition of accurate vs. altered details, guilt ratings, and neuropsychological function.

Main Results:

Older adults exhibited schema effects in false recognition of crime details, influenced by the suspect's background.
Older adults' recall ability predicted guilt ratings, suggesting cognitive decline impacts evidence interpretation.

Conclusions:

Reduced cognitive capacity in older adults enhances schema-based processing of crime information.
Findings have implications for the criminal justice system regarding age and memory.
Further research is needed on age-related memory differences in crime information processing.