reconstructive memory Flashcards
what is reconstructive memory?
fragments of stored information are reassembled during recall. the gaps are filled in by our expectations and beliefs so that we can produce a story that makes sense
what are schema?
a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. we are born with some schemas but they develop in complexity with experience of the world.
what did psychologists think that memory was?
psychologists thought that memory was an act of reproduction - we store information about an event and recall it later without altering it in any way
how did Bartlett challenge the view that memory is reproduction?
Bartlett argued that memories are RECONSTRUCTIONS rather than reproductions.
- he saw memory as an active process in which we store fragments of information. when we need to recall something we reconstruct those fragments into something meaningful
the result is that some elements are missing, distorted and memory is not a complete accurate record
what is the war of the ghosts study?
Bartlett demonstrated reconstructive memory with the war of the ghosts study.
he showed BRITISH ppts a folk tale of a different culture (native american) so it was unfamiliar.
he then asked them to reproduce it 15 minutes later.
he then showed a different ppt the new story and asked them to reproduce that and this led to SERIAL REPRODUCTION.
what did Bartlett find in his study?
he found that the story was transformed over time
- it became shorter over time (they left out unfamiliar details)
- phrases were changed to match their culture (rationalisation)
these happened because of schema
what is schema theory?
the schema allows us to process information about the situation more efficiently by making some guesses about what the situation is probably like based on past experiences.
how can schemas be changed?
schemas can be changed by new knowledge and experiences
how do schemas affect memory?
schemas affect memory through:
- what you encode/store
- what you retrieve
how does schema affect what we encode?
new knowledge that conflicts with an existing schema could easily fail to be encoded in the first place
- it doesn’t fit with what we expect so we don’t notice it
how do schemas affect retrieval?
when you try to recall a memory, you might recall only the elements that fit in with the relevant schema
- elements that don’t fit are either forgotten or are recalled in a distorted way
what is a strength of reconstructive memory?
a strength is that the theory is based on research that is more realistic than other memory research
before Bartlett’s work, psychologists investigated memory using artificial materials
the social origins of memory are obscured with such research
what is the competing argument?
Bartlett’s research did not use rigorously controlled methods and lacked objectivity
- instructions were not standardized, so ppts experiences were inconsistent which makes it difficult to compare.
lacks reliability and validity
what is a weakness of reconstructive memory?
it is wrong to suggest that all memories are inaccurate or affected by schemas
other studies have shown that memory can be very accurate - personally important situations = we remember more detail
reconstructed memory is accurate when done
how can we apply reconstructed memory?
the theory can be used to explain problems with eye-witness testimony - it is often used in court to give an accurate picture of what happened but Bartlett’s study shows that it may only give a picture of what should have happened
