Psychological status of the script concept.
Abstract
Suggests that there has been growing interest within several subfields of psychology in the schematic nature of mental representations of real-world objects and events. One simple form of schema is the “script,” embodying knowledge of stereotyped event sequences. The present author traces applicatio
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Students' successful use of the skill in other similar situations to guess the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary could be attributed to learning, since similar situations activate scripts.
“Moreover, students' claim to have successfully used the skill in other similar situations to guess the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary could also be attributed to learning since similar situations activate scripts-concepts learned and rehearsed through an understanding of goals, causation, and plans of action (Abelson, 1981;Schank & Abelson, 1977).”
From Readers, Players, and Watchers: EFL Students’ Vocabulary Acquisition through Digital Video Games (2017) · cites this paper as Abelson, 1981
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“…skill in other similar situations to guess the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary could also be attributed to learning since similar situations activate scripts—concepts learned and rehearsed through an understanding of goals, causation, and plans of action (Abelson, 1981; Schank & Abelson, 1977).”
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“These alternative methods are called equifinal actions (Abelson, 1981), meaning they lead to the same outcome but take different routes to get there.”
- Authors
- Abelson, R. P.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Abelson, Robert P.
- Venue
- American Psychologist
- Published
- 1981-07
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 715-729
- ISSN
- 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
- 1935-990X
- OpenAlex
- W2051017435
- Cited by
- 1,743
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 92 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 54 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 70 · 2014: 50 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 49
- FWCI
- 51.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Categorization, perception, and language
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cognitive and psychological constructs research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- scripts, schemas, mental representation, event knowledge, cognitive psychology
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