Script Memory

Script memory refers to memory of the general pattern of repeated events.  Memory tends to stay more stable for script memory.  Episodic memory refers to a memory for a specific incident.

Articles cited by Dutton:

Brubacher & La Rooy, 2014; Brubacher et al, 2013; Fivush, 1993; Greenberg et al., 1998; McNicol et al., 1999; Roberts & Powell, 2001.

Areas of Inquiry and Summary for Expert Testimony and Supporting Research Citations
Wendy A. Dutton, M.A., Ph.D., LPC, February 2022
In psychology and cognitive science, a schema (plural schemata or schemas) describes an organized pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them. It can also be described as a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a framework representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organizing and perceiving new information. Schemata influence attention and the absorption of new knowledge: people are more likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while re-interpreting contradictions to the schema as exceptions or distorting them to fit. Schemata have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory information. Schemata can help in understanding the world and the rapidly changing environment. People can organize new perceptions into schemata quickly as most situations do not require complex thought when using schema, since automatic thought is all that is required. 

People use schemata to organize current knowledge and provide a framework for future understanding. Examples of schemata include academic rubrics, social schemas, stereotypes, social roles, scripts, worldviews, and archetypes. In Piaget’s theory of development, children adopt a series of schemata to understand the world.

Some general principles from script memory research include:
  • Primacy Rule: The first in a series of events is remembered best.  
  • Recency rule.  The last in a series of events is also remembered best.  

Research Related to Schema / Script Memory
  • The effect of aging on script memory for typical and atypical actions.
    Vakil, Eli; Mosak, Chaya; Ashkenazi, Mira; Applied Neuropsychology, Vol 10(4), Dec 2003. pp. 239-245. 
  • The influence of postevent misinformation on children’s reports of a unique event versus an instance of a repeated event. Connolly, Deborah Ann; Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 59(11-B), May 1999. pp. 6097. 
  • Fuzzy-trace theory and eyewitness memory. 
    Davies, Graham M.; Learning and Individual Differences, Vol 7(2), 1995. Special issue: A symposium on fuzzy-trace theory. pp. 111-114. 
  • Remembering specific episodes of a scripted event.
    Farrar, M. Jeffrey; Boyer-Pennington, Michelle; Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol 73(4), Aug 1999. pp. 266-288. 
  • The impact of children’s script memory on suggestibility. 
    Fasig, Lauren G.; Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 59(9-B), Mar 1999. pp. 5134. 
  • Memory for typical and atypical actions in scripted activities. 
    Graesser, Arthur C.; Woll, Stanley B.; Kowalski, Daniel J.; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, Vol 6(5), Sep 1980. pp. 503-515. 
  • Sequencing and interleaving in routine action production. 
    Joe, Wilson Q.; Ferraro, Mary; Schwartz, Myrna F.; Neurocase, Vol 8(1-2), Feb 2002. pp. 135-150.
  • Effect of Presentation and Sex in Script Memory Organization. 
    Mishra, Anupam; Social Science International, Vol 20(1), Jan 2004. pp. 12-20. 
  • The impact of traumatic events on eyewitness memory. 
    Yuille, John C.; Daylen, Judith; In: Eyewitness memory: Theoretical and applied perspectives. Thompson, Charles P.; Herrmann, Douglas J.; Read, J. Don; Bruce, Darryl; Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 1998. pp. 155-178.