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Related Concept Videos

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.

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:

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge

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...

Self-Schemas

Self-Schemas

In general, 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.

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 20, 2025

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

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

Published on: February 19, 2018

From cognitive maps to spatial schemas.

Delaram Farzanfar^1,2, Hugo J Spiers³, Morris Moscovitch^2,4

¹Department of Psychology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Canada.

Nature Reviews. Neuroscience

|November 22, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes spatial schemas, structured knowledge from navigation experiences, are distinct from cognitive maps and event schemas. Understanding these schemas can advance cognitive and neural science.

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Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Neuroscience
Urban Analytics

Background:

Schemas, structured prior knowledge, are typically studied separately in episodic memory and spatial navigation.
Existing research lacks integration across domains, particularly in human studies.
Theories of memory consolidation underpin schema research but haven't bridged navigation and memory domains comprehensively.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and define spatial schemas as a distinct cognitive construct arising from navigation in structured environments.
To differentiate spatial schemas from cognitive maps and event schemas at cognitive and neural levels.
To explore the influence of architectural and urban factors on spatial schema properties.

Main Methods:

Review of theoretical frameworks and empirical findings in spatial schemas.
Analysis of targeted investigations in human and non-human animal spatial schema research.
Consideration of urban analytics, scale, and regionalization's impact on spatial schemas.

Main Results:

Spatial schemas, like the expected layout of cities, emerge from repeated navigation in similar environments.
These schemas share properties with but are distinct from cognitive maps (specific memories) and event schemas (expected occurrences).
Both cognitive and neural levels show distinctions between spatial schemas, cognitive maps, and event schemas.

Conclusions:

Spatial schemas represent a unique form of structured knowledge derived from environmental navigation.
Integrating spatial schema research with urban analytics offers a novel approach to understanding spatial cognition.
Further research into the properties and formation of spatial schemas can significantly advance cognitive and neural sciences.