Bartlett’s War Of The Ghosts Study (1932)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To use a story from a different culture to see how cultural expectations affect memory

Question 2

Method

Answer 2

• used a technique he called serial reproduction
• he showed participants a story and asked them to recall it 15 minutes later
• he then showed the new version to a different participant
• the story belonged to a culture that was very different to the participants

Question 3

Results

Answer 3

• the story was shortened, mainly by omissions
• phrases and concepts were changed to language from the participants culture
• the recalled version soon became very fixed

Question 4

Conclusion

Answer 4

Individuals remembered the meaning and tried to sketch out the story using invented details

Question 5

Weaknesses (3)

Answer 5

• lacks control
• the results were biased
• the story was unusual

Question 6

Lacks control

Answer 6

The study was conducted rather casually, with no set standards about where and how people recalled the information which suggests that recall is probably more accurate that Bartlett proposed

Question 7

The results were biased

Answer 7

Bartlett’s own beliefs are likely to have affected the way he interpreted the data as he was expecting inaccurate recall which means that the results can not be fully trusted

Question 8

The story was unusual

Answer 8

The story was unusual therefore may not reflect everyday memory processes and so everyday recall may not be affected by cultural expectations meaning recall can be quite accurate