social script

Meaning: A social script is a mental guide, picked up through socialization, that lays out the typical order of actions, roles, and expectations in a familiar situation. Examples are greeting someone, ordering at a restaurant, or going on a first date. It is a type of schema for events, so people can predict what comes next and respond with little deliberate thought. Scripts differ across cultures and can be revised with new experience.

On the MCAT: A passage describes people in a routine situation, or someone acting oddly when the situation departs from the usual order. You name the script as the source of the expectations. Questions may ask what happens when a script is violated (confusion, awkwardness, or a negative reaction from others). They may also ask how scripts are acquired, for example through observation, reinforcement, and socialization. Scripts often appear alongside schemas and cultural differences in behavior.

Common confusion: Students mix up script, schema, role, and norm. A schema is the broad term for organized knowledge about anything. A script is the kind of schema that specifies a sequence of steps in a situation. A role is the set of expectations tied to a social position, such as customer or server. A norm is a rule for acceptable behavior. One script can involve several roles and draw on several norms.