Reconstructive Memory - Bartlett (1932)

Question 1

Schemas

3

Answer 1

A package of all of our stored knowledge of aspects of the world.
It’s based on our own individual experiences and can develop over time
Used to fill in gaps in our memory

Question 2

War of the Ghosts

2

Answer 2

Native American ghost story shown to 20 students by Bartlett.
The story contained many native Indian words, such as ‘canoe’, and these were changed in the reproduction of the story to more common words such as ‘boat’, fitting in with the schema theory

Question 3

SODA

Answer 3

S - War of the Ghosts showed ppts. replaced native words like ‘canoe’ with boat

O - Bartlett’s ‘War of the Ghosts’ study wasn’t scientific and didn’t follow strict parameters, therefore it lacks validity and reliability. Also lacks ecological validity.

D - Has links to Tulving’s theories of semantic memory, where we keep our understanding of relationships. This is similar to schemas. A difference is that it doesn’t explain how memories are made etc. it’s extremely vague, this is a more holistic view

A - The idea of schemas helps us treat diseases such as dementia. Validation Therapy involves ‘going along’ with a patient’s schemas in order to stop distress as they discover their schemas conflict with reality