The term schema in its general sense refers to a representation of a plan or theory in the form of an outline or model. In psychology, a schema (or cognitive schema) is a cognitive system which helps people organize and make sense of information; it is a mental conceptual structure that informs a person about what to expect from a variety of experiences and situations. Schemata are developed based on information provided by life experiences and are then stored in memory for future usage. The human mind creates and uses schemata as a shortcut to make future encounters with similar situations easier to navigate. For example, one may have developed a schema that all swiss watches are of a high quality. Because of this schema, one organizes one’s actions around it and will more readily look for information that supports this view while discarding information that disagrees with it.
