What are schemas? What characteristics do schemas have that ...

[danielfitts88]

What are schemas? What characteristics do schemas have that ensure wide flexibility in their use?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare and contrast natural and artificial categories.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[Qarqy]

Answer to Question 1

A schema is a mental framework for organizing knowledge. It creates a meaningful structure of related concepts.
1 . Schemas can include other schemas. For example, a schema for animals includes a schema for cows, a schema for apes, and so on.
2 . Schemas encompass typical, general facts that can vary slightly from one specific instance to another. For example, although the schema for mammals includes a general fact that mammals typically have fur, it allows for humans, who are less hairy than most other mammals. It also allows for porcupines, which seem more prickly than furry, and for marine mammals like whales that have just a few bristly hairs.
3 . Schemas can vary in their degree of abstraction. For example, a schema for justice is much more abstract than a schema for apple or even a schema for fruit.

Answer to Question 2

Natural categories are groupings that occur naturally in the world, like birds or trees. Artifact categories are groupings that are designed or invented by humans to serve particular purposes or functions, like automobiles and kitchen appliances. The speed it takes to assign objects to categories seems to be about the same for both natural and artifact categories. Many natural and artifact categories are relatively stable and people tend to agree on criteria for membership in them. A tiger is always a mammal, for example; and a knife is always a tool used for cutting.