Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Schemata01:17

Schemata

427
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:
427
Schemas01:42

Schemas

12.5K
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.
12.5K
Storage01:23

Storage

440
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...
440
Impact of Schemas01:30

Impact of Schemas

237
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,...
237
Natural and Artificial Concepts01:24

Natural and Artificial Concepts

620
In psychology, concepts can be divided into two categories: natural and artificial. Natural concepts are formed through direct or indirect experiences. For example, consider the concept of snow. If you live in a place with regular snowfall, such as Essex Junction, Vermont, you know snow through direct experiences. You’ve seen it fall, touched it, shoveled it, and played in it. You recognize its texture, appearance, and even its smell. In contrast, if you live on an island like Saint...
620
Concepts and Prototypes01:24

Concepts and Prototypes

594
The human nervous system handles vast amounts of information by translating sensory stimuli into neural impulses, which the brain processes, creating thoughts expressed through language or stored as memories. The brain also synthesizes information from emotions and memories, which significantly influence thoughts and behaviors. This intricate process creates a comprehensive mental picture.
The brain organizes this information using concepts, which are mental categories grouping linguistic data,...
594

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Surprise, Recipes for Surprise, and Social Influence.

Topics in cognitive science·2018
Same author

Introduction: 2016 Rumelhart Prize Issue Honoring Dedre Gentner.

Topics in cognitive science·2017
Same author

The repetition-break plot structure: a cognitive influence on selection in the marketplace of ideas.

Cognitive science·2011
Same author

Reviving inert knowledge: analogical abstraction supports relational retrieval of past events.

Cognitive science·2011
Same author

Converging on a new role for analogy in problem solving and retrieval: when two problems are better than one.

Memory & cognition·2007
Same author

Relational language and the development of relational mapping.

Cognitive psychology·2005
Same journal

Limits to Language Prediction: Findings From Diverse Populations.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

There Is More Than Meets the Eye: The Dual Role of Perception in Shaping Color Lexicons.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Inference and Imagination.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Gesture Use Across Different Concepts: Focusing on Cross-Linguistic Diversity.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Exploring Amazonian Cognitive Diversity at Chana Research Station.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Do (We Think That) Plants Have Agency?

Topics in cognitive science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

11.4K

Structure Mapping and Vocabularies for Thinking.

Jeffrey Loewenstein1

  • 1Department of Business Administration, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Topics in Cognitive Science
|June 3, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The structure-mapping process, crucial for knowledge development, often overlooks incremental comparisons between similar items. This study highlights the value of these ordinary comparisons for cognitive development and integration.

Keywords:
Encoding vocabulariesStructure mappingVocabularies of practice

More Related Videos

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
05:55

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

1.6K
Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
13:12

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Published on: August 12, 2019

46.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

11.4K
Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
05:55

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

1.6K
Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
13:12

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Published on: August 12, 2019

46.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychology
  • Knowledge Representation

Background:

  • The structure-mapping process explains complex cognitive feats like analogy and metaphor.
  • However, its role in mundane, incremental knowledge development is often overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To shift focus towards the value of close comparisons between literally similar items for knowledge development.
  • To foster integration between cognitive processes and content, and between individual and collective knowledge.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of the structure-mapping process.
  • Examination of the role of literal similarity in knowledge acquisition.

Main Results:

  • Ordinary, incremental comparisons are as vital as extreme examples in cognitive development.
  • Undue simplifications in current models of structure mapping were identified.

Conclusions:

  • Emphasizing literal similarity in structure mapping offers promising new directions for cognitive research.
  • Integrating process and content, and individual and collective knowledge, is key for advancing understanding.