Reliability of One Cognitive Process

Question 1

What is memory?

Answer 1

• Not a ‘tape recorder’ or an exact replica but a ‘reconstruction’.
• Memory can be changed, lost or even created, and are often manipulated or distorted in the process of retrieval.

Question 2

How can memory be explained?

Answer 2

• Explained by schema theory- schema stored in LTM helps people process information efficiently. They can influence cognitive processing and distort memory.
• We tend to remember the gist of what occurred but then ‘fill in the gaps’ with information from our schemas or previous networks of knowledge.

Question 3

What are our schemas influenced by?

Answer 3

• Age
• Gender
• Experiences
• Culture