cognitive approach - ‘behaviour can be explained by schemas’

Question 1

what is a schema?

Answer 1

an ‘organised packet of information’ in the brain that are built through experience

Question 2

where are schemas located in the brain

Answer 2

long term memory

Question 3

what do schemas do

Answer 3

they set up expectations of what is probable to happen in a social situation, they help us make sense of the world

Question 4

when we get new information on a social context we..

Answer 4

assimilate it into an existing schema in the brain

Question 5

what is the schema example

Answer 5

bartlett’s war of the ghosts study

Question 6

describe the schema example

Answer 6

participants were asked to memorise a short story - the war of the ghosts’ - a Native American story whilst the participants were British. when asked to recall, they changed some of the words unconsciously to fit the story into their western schemas e.g hunting seals - fishing. this showed that their schemas distorted their memory