Our individual perceptual frames are built from schema, but in order to truly understand this statement and this week’s topic as a whole, we must first define some of these important terms.
- Frame: a structure of concepts, values, customs, views, and attitudes by means of which an individual perceives or evaluates data, communicates ideas, forms judgements, and regulates behaviour.
- Perception: the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
- Propaganda: information, ideas, or rumours deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, or institution.
- Schema: a cognitive framework developed from exposure to repeating patterns in external stimuli which help organise and interpret information.
Schema begin forming during childhood and, over time, stabilise within our memories as association chains. As we encounter new external stimuli, they alter our association chains which, in turn, reshape our schema. This process is referred to as assimilation, and is best explained using the example of a child seeing a cow for the first time, as initially proposed by Barry Wadsworth (1989) in his book ‘Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development‘:
The boy seeing the object (cow) in the field, sifted through his collection of schemata until he found one that seemed appropriate and could include the object. To the child, the object (cow) had all the characteristics of a dog – it fit into his dog schema – and so the child concluded that the object was a dog. The stimulus (cow) was assimilated into the dog schema.
The more stimuli we are exposed to over the course of our lifetime, the more schema we possess, and as our schema develop, so, too, does our understanding of the world around us. The problem, herein, emerges when we are exposed to false or misleading stimuli, better known as propaganda.
While this article only scratches the very surface of these concepts and the topic overall, I hope the brief insight provided was, at the very least, somewhat interesting, and that it encourages you to go and learn more about the theories that underpin our very own human behaviour.
Taylor Sumelj 
Hey Taylor,
I really liked this reflection on framing and the construction of perception! I found this topic was pretty complex and I took a similar approach to you and outlined the key terms and simple examples of each to give a broad summary of the topic. This process helped me to retain the content and apply it creatively. Your gif was a great remediation and showed the idea of schema in relation to Piaget’s theory 🙂
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Hi Emily, thanks for your feedback! I’m really glad you were able to take something away from my blog and enjoyed my remediation. If you link your blog post below, I’ll be sure to give it a read! It’s always interesting to see the different ways people approach the same topics. While you’re at it, I’d love it if you could check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Taylor-Sumelj-1329749160514049 and give it a like. Thanks again!
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Hey Taylor!! I really enjoyed this blog post, it had a great balance of detailed information and your personal approach to understanding the topic. In particular, I found your take on the classic vine ‘look at all the chickens’ really clever! your twist really aided in my understanding of the topic. Overall, a poignant blog post, keep up the good work :))
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Thanks for your feedback, Emily! I’m really glad you enjoyed my blog and were able to take something away from it. If you have a minute, I’d love it if you could check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Taylor-Sumelj-1329749160514049 and give it a like. Thanks again!
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I really loved your visual! You couldn’t have a found a better compliment to your focus in content.
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Thanks for your feedback! I’m really glad you enjoyed my post. If you have a minute, I’d love it if you could check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Taylor-Sumelj-1329749160514049 and give it a like. Thanks again!
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Hey Taylor, first of all, Great blog post. I really enjoyed the simplified explanation for yet a rather confusing and challenging topic. Breaking it down for me in dot points and explaining thta it comes from schema really enables me to receive a broader understanding. Your remedification was awesome, love seeing viral memes being recycled! Draws in so much attention. Keep up the good work 🙂
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Hi Flora, thanks so much for your feedback! I’m really glad you were able to take something away from my blog and enjoyed my remediation. If you link your blog post below, I’ll be sure to give it a read, too! It’s always interesting to see the different ways people approach the same topic. While you’re at it, I’d love it if you could check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Taylor-Sumelj-1329749160514049 and give it a like. Thanks again!
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Awesome throwback to a classic vine with your remediation 🙂 Great job on structuring this post, you don’t often see people using bullet points but it works really well here. Really enjoyed reading this, great job!
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Hi Adrian, thanks for your feedback! I’m really glad you were able to take something away from my blog and enjoyed my remediation. If you have a minute, I’d love it if you could check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Taylor-Sumelj-1329749160514049 and give it a like. Thanks again!
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