Reconstructive Memory Flashcards
Outline 6 points about reconstructive memory
- States that memories are not exact copies of what is encoded and stored, but are affected by prior experience/knowledge in the form of schemas
- Schemas are a ‘packet’ of information which comprises everything that you remember about a particular person, event, topic etc
- You can add to a schema (assimilation)
- You can build a new schema (accomodation)
- Rationalisation = getting rid of something from a memory to help it make sense using our schemas
- Confabulation = making something up in a memory to help it make sense using our schemas
Give 2x strengths of reconstructive memory
P- Bartlett’s (1932) War of the Ghosts study supports
E - When testing people on an unfamiliar Native American folk tale, he found that ppts recalled inaccuracies such as someone dying at sunset instead of sunrise and excluding the ghosts entirely
E - This shows that rationalisation and confabulation occurs in order to make sense of a memory using our schemas
P- Bartlett’s theory can be scientifically tested
E- Can operationalise IV and DV to measure accuracy
E- Allows for things to be measurable, leading to easy replication
Give 2x weaknesses of reconstructive memory
P- Original studies weren’t scientific
E- Bartlett - showed 20 students a Native American ghost story (The War of the Ghosts) which had unusual features. He asked them to read it and recall it on several occasions. He compared how the recalled version differed from the original. He showed how ppts changed it to fit their own expectations, such as replacing canoes with boats (confabulation)
E- Didn’t use controls or standardised procedure so lacked internal validity
P- He analysed ppts reproductions of stories/images himself
E- His interpretations may have been different to another person’s
E- Findings could be subjective
