Reconstructive memory, including schema theory Flashcards
Define ‘schema’.
A mental construct that forms the human memory’s structural components
Schemas are unique to an individual and their previous: (4 points)
Knowledge
Interpretations
Expectations
Motivations
Describe Barlett’s Theory of Reconstructive Memory. (3 points)
The memory is not a passive or true record - is an active reconstruction based on a person’s schemas
Memory use schemas to organise things - when we recall an event, they tell us what is supposed to happen
Conflabulation
+ Schemas fill in our memory’s gaps
+ Pressures our minds to remember things in a way that fits with them, removing or changing details
Describe how Bartlett’s study supports his reconstructive memory theory. (3 points)
His study ‘The War of the Ghosts’ tested reconstructive memory using an unfamiliar story
Participants read the story twice and later repeated reproduction after a day, a week, a month, and each year up to 6 years
Recall of a story had become confabulated - parts of the story had been filled in using participants’ schemas
What is the weakness of Barlett’s study? (2 points)
It didn’t have objective controls e.g., the time between reading and recall for the reproduction of the story
This uncontrolled situational confounding variable reduces the study’s internal validity and reliability
Define the 4 types of confabulations in the context of Bartlett’s study.
Familiarisation - changing unfamiliar details
Eg. including familiar town names
Omission - leaving out information you don’t understand
Eg. simplifying the story
Rationalisation - the use of cultural ideals
Eg. war of ghosts -> war between tribes
Transformation - changing ideas into conventional concepts
Eg. seal hunting -> fishing
What are the 2 supporting and 2 refuting arguments for Reconstructive Memory theory?
Supporting:
Loftus and Palmer
Cognitive Interview
Refuting:
Some memories being accurate
Reductionist
Describe how Loftus and Palmer’s classic study supports the reconstructive memory theory. (4 points)
They got American students to watch films of traffic accidents and asked several questions after - critical one being ‘How fast were the cars going when they ____ each other?’
IV: the word in the question - ‘contacted’, ‘hit’, ‘bumped’, ‘collided’, or ‘smashed’
Average speed:
‘Contacted’ = 31.8, ‘Smashed’ = 40.5
Verb intensity affected their expectation of speed, transforming their episodic memory - supports Bartlett’s notion that memories are actively reconstructed to fit an individual’s schemas
How does the Cognitive Interview support Bartlett’s reconstructive memory theory? (5 points)
The theory has useful applications e.g. The Cognitive Interview for Eyewitness testimonies
The CI uses:
‘Change order’ technique - witnesses re-imagine the scene of the crime in an unfamiliar order
‘Change perspective’ - people recall from another person’s view
Both methods prevent people from using their schemas (prior knowledge and expectations) when recalling events
Kohnken et al (1999) - 34% more correct information generated with Cognitive Interviews compared to Standard Interview techniques
How does some memories being accurate challenge Bartlett’s reconstructive memory theory? (3 points)
Wynn & Logie - students asked to recall details of their first week at university several times throughout the year; accuracy of descriptions remained the same
Yuille & Cutshall found witnesses of a real-life gun shooting at a gun shop in Canada had remarkably accurate memories
Reconstructive memory perhaps only true for unfamiliar, unemotional events - not all types of memories are influenced by schemas like Bartlett suggested
How is Bartlett’s reconstructive memory theory reductionist? (2 points)
Alternative explanations of memory such as the MSM inform us how long-term memories are transferred from the STM
This theory is not a credible explanation as it is not a holistic one
