Mental Representations

The complex concept of mental representations involves a rich history with many disciplines contributing to the dialogue. In fact, it was one of the first theoretical constructs in the field of cognitive science. Mental representations are, in short, objects and structures in the mind with semantic properties. More precisely, mental representations are information‐containing, physically‐realized structures in the mind that allow us to perceive, make sense of, process, understand, and recall all stimuli. In the area of media processing and media effects, mental representations have been researched through schema theory, scripts, stories, and the theory of mental models. Each of these theories argue that, most generally, media exposure influences our mental representations while, at the same time, existing mental representations influence how we process and make sense of media content. This entry reviews both the literature on mental representations themselves, as well as reviewing research that considers the interplay of mental representations and media exposure. Overall, findings suggest that schema are likely to work in somewhat of a feedback loop with existing schema affecting how we perceive, make sense of, and interpret information, but then that information, in some circumstances and with media content structured in a particular way, may influence schema. Research on media narratives, video games, and advertising is considered.