Synonyms
Definition
A self-schema is a memory structure that, like other schemas, guides how people attend to, interpret, encode, and retrieve information. However, unlike other schemas, it develops when the person uses self-awareness and self-reflection to make sense of his or her experiences and identity. Although it is grounded in the self, it can also influence the processing of information not obviously connected to the self.
Introduction
When there are numerous enduring connections in memory organized around a particular concept, that set of associations forms a schema (plural schemas or schemata). A schema is a cognitive structure that integrates learned information about a particular concept, and it is activated whenever new information relevant to that concept is encountered (Alba and Hasher 1983). Once activated, schemas facilitate information processing in a top-down manner, which means new information is understood in light of what the person...
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References
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Brown, C.M. (2018). Self-Schema. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2005-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2005-1
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