Schank R

When1:  1977

When2:  1997

Who:    Roger Schank [Schank, Roger]

What:   psychologist

Where:  USA

works\  Scripts, Plans, Goals and Understanding [1977: with Robert P. Abelson]; Dynamic Memory [1981]; Dynamic Memory Revisited [1997]

Detail: From repeated experience, people build knowledge structures that provide background information and default settings for processes {script, Schank}. Structures coordinate event sequence. People have many scripts and need to realize which script to use. As rule sets {rules of script}, scripts can predict. Scripts include all scenes and events related to process. Scenes and events share some features but not others, and scripts note differences.

People can plan events {plan application}, to reach goals that brain monitors for progress {goal tracking}. Memory {dynamic memory, brain} must be able to change, learn, include new information, and relate information to previous information.

People also remember scenes. People have general and abstract memory structures and processes, as well as scripts, which guide scene attention and selection.

People notice what deviates from general structures and incorporate the information into general knowledge if it repeats. Stimuli remind of previous scenes, scripts, and general knowledge structures {processing-based reminding}. Organizing memories causes more reminding. Mental processing includes reminding, which uses same structures as storing memories and processing input. Process repeats same structures for similar thing and has reminding. Understanding is remembering similar situation. Reminding becomes less as object or event integrates more and becomes unconscious.

Unexpected events add pointers and indexes to script to note differences and exceptions. People do not expect new things only if they see them in context in which they expected something else, so there must be conscious attention, thwarted goal, or difference from previous thing, not just something entirely new or meaningless.

Memories, reminding, and processing are simultaneous in script application, plan application, and goal tracking. Story always involves goal, why. In trying to reach goal, people can fail to perform obvious subgoals {goal subsumption failure}, face obstacles, move toward new goal, or have more than one goal.

People can search memory intentionally. Scenes connect by higher order knowledge structures {memory organization packet, scene} (MOP). Abstract concepts connect by higher order knowledge structures {thematic organization packet, Schank} (TOP).

Consciousness is just observing unconscious mental processing. It is for learning explanations, applying rules, and questioning, but it interferes with well-learned activities.

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Date Modified: 2022.0224