Showing papers by "Arthur C. Graesser published in 1982"

The impact of a schema on comprehension and memory

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter presents a schema based model of encoding and retrieval. Schemas are generic knowledge structures that guide the comprehender's interpretations, inferences, expectations, and attention. A schema consists of knowledge in that its properties typically apply to its referent. Thus, its components, attributes, and relationships may normally apply to a specific referent, but need not apply out of necessity. The content of a schema is highly structured, rather than being simply a list of features or properties. It is convenient to view schemas as having variables, which are eventually filled as a schema guides the comprehension of specific input. These variables are filled with contextually specific referents when someone comprehends a specific restaurant experience. A schema is instantiated when variables have been filled and conceptually interrelated in a specific context. The actions that characters perform in a script are ordered logically, conventionally, or in a manner constrained by the environment.