Cognitive schemata: Are information structures in long-term memory that enable someone to solve a certain category of problems and at the same time save working memory by chunking information elements and production rules into a whole. It facilitates transfer of performance of an acquired knowledge (Van Gerven, 2003). According to Chipperfield (2006), the difference between an expert and novice schema is based on their ability to categorize problems using schemas stored in long-term memory.

Cooper (1998) and Chipperfield (2006) talk about two distinguishing feature of expertise as being:

a. The expensive schemas (information networks) that an expert holds.

b. The high level of automation (ability to perform tasks without concentration) the expert exhibits.