Reconstructive model of memory (Bartlett, 1932), (CP)

Question 1

Evaluate a strength of reconstructive memory

Answer 1

I - A strength of reconstructive memory is that is has had useful, real-life applications in the legal field.
J - Experimental demonstration that eyewitnesses are unreliable when recalling events, and they may recall what they expect to see rather than what we actually see, which is explained by the role of schemas outline in this theory.
E - Due to this, criminal convictions are no longer solely based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, but requiring further evidence, reducing the inaccurate conviction rates and changing the legal system for the better.

Question 2

Evaluate a weakness of reconstructive memory

Answer 2

I - Further research has showed that Bartlett may be incorrect in suggesting that memory is reconstructed and therefore distorted upon each recall.
J - Wynn and Logie (1998) conducted a replication of Bartlett’s ‘War of the Ghosts’ but used a real-life situation. They asked first year psychology students to recall events from their first week at university and found that there was only a small reduction in the amount of information recalled even after 6 months.
E - Therefore, real-life situations which are more familiar may be less susceptible to the reconstruction Bartlett suggested (e.g. schema influence/confabulation/levelling, etc) and they are in fact more like a tape recorder.