reconstructive memory Flashcards
what is a mental schema ?
“an organised package of information / script that stores our knowledge about the world. ht allows us to navigate our environment and are built up by past experiences “
how many schemas do we have ?
we each have many schemas, one for each aspect of our lives. provides us with expectations and rules about what to do. develop with our experiences
what do mental schemas contain ?
stereotypes and expectations we have acquired during our lives
what happens when we ‘ open up ‘ our schema ?
we unwittingly use the information we find
what is reconstructive memory ?
memories are exact copies of what is encoded/ stored but are affected by prior knowledge/ experiences. we automatically unconsciously fill in these memory caps using stereotypes and expectations from our mental schemas. fragments of stored information are reassembled during recall using schemas.
what happens if something goes against your schema?
it does not get stored
what are previous memories used for ?
to interpret information
why was the war of ghosts chosen ?
the story was chosen because it was culturally unfamiliar to the participants, lacked rational story order, dramatic story encourages visual imagining , supernatural elements
what was the war of ghosts ?
20ppts in total, each read through story which was unfamiliar to them twice
used repeated text production whereby the participants retold the story after varying intervals ( several minutes , weeks, months and years - longest being 6.5 years )
findings - story was much shorter after 3 sessions it went from 330 words to 180
what is the procedure+ findings of war of the ghosts ?
repeated production - what pots recall after several mins weeks and years
serial production- asked one person to recall it , showed new version to another person and asked them to recall it
story becomes shorter, phrases reflecting modern concepts, objects more familiar , memory is reconstructed each time it was recalled , rarely accurate
what happened over time war of ghosts findings ?
distortion:
confabulation
levelling
rationalism
what is the loftus + palmer study ? 70s
.university group of students
.split into 5 groups
.shower clip of same car accident
.asked same questions with different verb
. “ how fast were the cars going when they ( hit / bumped / crashed / smashed /
collided “
. wording of the questions influenced participants recall
why is the eye witness testimony unreliable?
.eye witness reconstruct their memory of an event so it makes sense relying on schemas
. leading questions can alter one’s memory
. if asked how fast the cards were going they recalled the speed of cars as being faster when asked “ when the cars smashed into eachother “
what is the Delvin report 1974 ?
advices caution if relying on one eye witness testimony
what is the alport and postman’s study 1974?
.showed an image to americans
. all participants said black man holding knife
.cases for ethnic minorities will be judged higher than others
