Reconstructive Memory + Bartlett's Study + Loftus and Palmer Flashcards
Why using schemas are helpful?
- Able to retreive and understand new information readily
- Saves memory resources
- Able to fill in and guess forgotten information through using default values
Why using schemas can be a disadvantage?
- new information that doesn’t fit within our schemas will be easily forgotten/ignored = SHORTENING
- ## Distort new information to make it easier to understand leading to inaccuracy e.g. filling new information that can be default values of prejudice/stereotypes due to your own individual schemas
How does memory work using reconstructive memory?
- Memory doesn’t work like a tape recorder
- retreving stored memory is active process of reconstruction
- Memories are not reliable
Why was confabulation used in Bartlett’s War of Ghost Study?
- to make the recall meaningful by adding and filling in gaps
- British Participants changed the ‘canoe’ to ‘boats’ to recall and fit within their own schemas of their culture
- Hunting seals became fishing
What was the aim of Bartlett’s War of Ghost study?
If recall from memory was active procress of constructing and not exact copy of new information like a tape recorder
What was the procedure in Bartlet’ss War of Ghost study?
- 20 British participants
- They would read the story of unfamiliar American folk tale twice in their own pace and reproduce/recall the story 15 mins later to another participants using the method of serial reproduction similar to Chinese Whispers
- he would record each participants recall of the story
- The participants would as well recall the story at different lengths e.g. weeks, months, years etc through method of repeated reproduction by meeting the participant by accident
Why was rationalistion used in Bartlett’s study?
- part of the memory became distorted to fit within your schemas
- if unfamilar/unusual information is used, it doesn’t fit within your schemas so memory of event changed to make it meaningful and sense to you
- No odd or supernatural element left at the end of reproduction
What were the results of
Bartlett’s study?
- The story recalled was altered but still made logical sequences
- length of the story became shorter with each reproduction
- No odd or supernatural element left at the end of reproduction = rationalisation
- The story recalled confabulated to fit within their own schemas e.g. canoes to boats and hunthing seals to fishing
What are the things we ACCOMODATE to recall?
Levelling - simplify , rationalisation
Sharpening - highlight or overemphasise details, confabulation
Assimilating - change the new information to fit our schemas of what we learnt
Why Bartlett’s Study supports Reconstructive Memory?
- There were changes within recalling/retriving the story by memory
- Confabulation was used canoes to boats and hunting seals to fishing
- Rationalisation occured to fit within our schemas therefore odd and supenatural elements were not reproduced down the line which shortened the story to 180
- Supports memory is reconstructive
Why was Bartlett’s Study scientfically critised?
- Low scientfic status because it had lack of control of variables
- during repeated reproducted he only asked participants to recall story if he say them by accident
- not all participants were used for repeated reproduction
- Bartlett was the only one to analyse the data leading to bias when measuring confabulation and shortening
- Participants had their own time to read the War of Ghost story this wasn’t standardised and had unreliable results
How does Bartlett’s explanatin of reconstructive memory have real life application?
- real life application towards problems with eye witnesses testimonies
- witnesses rarely lie and try their hardest to tell the truth by an ‘oath’
- try their hardest to remember things accurately
- innocent indivduals will be wrongly convicted
- due to memory being reconstructive by using schemas to fit what ‘should’ happen
- EWT are unreliable so courts use other evidence
‘Not all memories are affected by schemas’ Why does this contradict reconstructive memory?
- using schemas will distort our memory and become inaccurate
- but participants will recall accurately in detail
- an important event like a wedding
- participants in Bartlett’s recalled the phrase ‘Something black came out of his mouth’ which is unusual so surely schemas would confabulate and fit withien their schemas
Why was Bartlett’s Study reflective to real-life?
- high ecological validity
- uses realistic methods unlike other cognitive studies which uses normally artifical test e.g. recalling list of words in order whilst having an interferance task
- recalling a story was used in every task and normal
What was the aim of Loft and Palmer’s experiment?
- Weather leading questions affect recal of speed of car
- IV was the different verb used in the leading questions: smashed, collided, bumped, hit or conntaced
