Gestalt Psychology is worth looking up (mainly about visual
patterns) Chess is also a good example: One important role in
chess skill is pattern recognition (vs. the ability to search
through the problem space). Through years of practice and study,
masters have learnt several hundred thousands of perceptual
chess patterns (called chunking). When one of these patterns is
recognized in a particular position, the master then has rapid
access to information such as potential moves or move sequences,
tactics, and strategies. This explains automatic and intuitive
discovery of good moves by a master, as well as extraordinary
memory for game-like chess positions. You can also argue that
stored patterns operate a bit like 'production rules' in AI...
although AI gets a bit complex ! See also: 'Schemas' - which are
pre-existing mental 'patterns' which we tend to apply to
incoming mental data: A schema is a cognitive framework or
concept that helps organize and interpret information. Schemas
can be useful, because they a