A special kind of abstraction. Results in representations that are much less detailed than the actual utterances that give rise to them. Schematisation results in a schema. A schema is achieved by setting aside points of difference between actual structures leaving just the points they have in common. To illustrate, consider the following examples:

1. The kitten is in the box
2. The flower is in the vase
3. The crack is in the vase Here the lexical item in has three slightly different meanings associated with it. These distinct meanings are situated, arising from context. Nevertheless, what is common to each of these uses is the rather abstract notion of enclosure; it is this commonality that establishes the schema for in. Moreover, the schema for in says very little about the nature of the figure and reference object that are associated by the spatial relation designated by in. That is, information stored as part of the schema holds only that the figure and the reference object must exist and that they must have the basic properties that enable enclosure.