These expectancies take the form of icons or schemas that automatically govern much of our routine behavior, like our reflexive eye movements, or how we listen to the evening news on television. Our expectancies tend to be remembered in proportion to the probability of their occurring again in the future. A script, for example, is the understanding that we are just joking , or that this is just a business call . How we define a current social event determines what behavior is appropriate at that moment, and what is off limits. By understanding these social contexts, we can skillfully share in our current social activities.
Scripts are the public manifestation of patterns of related social concepts.
It codifies the format or concept for a given event. It emphasizes what is relevant, and helps make appropriate inferences. Icons and schemas act like default assumptions that provide use with the essential, quick-reaction strategies for manifesting potential future behavior. They provide a quick and easy way of efficiently responding to threatening outward events. Icons are the basic rules that govern our nonverbal behavior in our sensory space.