Schema

A general knowledge structure for typical events or situations.

• Ex: Getting ice cream. Price, flavor, and location are all part of the schema, but knowledge of one impacts your expectations of the others. An ice cream shop typically has more flavors and higher prices than Kroger.
• Ex: A college lecture: rows of seats, a screen at the front, and someone talking for most of an hour.
• Ex: Waiting in a doctor’s office: a front desk, a clipboard of forms, and a room full of chairs facing a wall of magazines.

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Last updated: October 5, 2026 at 5:27 PM