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Scripts

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

Synonyms

Schemas; Stereotypes

Definition

Used as a mental shortcut, scripts are a set of expected events for a particular situation. Scripts are developed by taking information from past experiences to inform future thoughts and behaviors. The types of scripts internalized by each individual are influenced by personality differences and group affiliation, which, in turn, have an impact on the types of scripts that are formed.

Introduction

Exposed to a world filled with complex stimuli, even the extraordinary human brain can have difficulty processing the information it is faced with. The mental demands of the environment can often be quite taxing, which is why humans have evolved the ability to use cognitive shortcuts, such as scripts or schemas. Although exact conditions may differ from time to time, many events in day-to-day life tend to follow a type of pattern, such as dining at a restaurant or going on a date. For example, Joe, who has been matched with Ann on a dating website,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada

    Theresa H. He & Alexandra N. Fisher

Authors
  1. Theresa H. He
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  2. Alexandra N. Fisher
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Theresa H. He .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    John F. Rauthmann

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

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He, T.H., Fisher, A.N. (2018). Scripts. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1901-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1901-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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