Cognitive Memory Models

Social psychologists describe social cognitive memory models as the internal, mental system for identifying and remembering stimuli. Although there are a number of social cognitive memory models, the focus in this Discussion is the distinction between the schema, prototype and exemplar models. A schema may be defined as a cognitive structure that represents knowledge about a concept or type of stimulus, including its attributes and the relations among those attributes’ (Fiske, 2000, p, 158). In addition to schema, social cognitive memory models propose the use of prototypes and exemplars. For this Discussion, review the media titled Attention, Encoding, and Social Cognitive Memory. Think about how prototype and exemplar cognitive memory models account for what you remember occurring in the media.