Schema theory Flashcards
Schema definition
mental representations that are derived from prior experience and knowledge
Explain Schema
The bottom-up information derived from the senses is interpreted by the top- down influence of relevant schemas in order to determine which behavoiur is most appropriate. Schemas help us to predict what to expect based on what has happened before. They are used to organise knowledge assist recall, guide behaviour, and to help individuals make sense of current experiences.
Scripts
patterns of behaviour that are learned through interactions w our environment
Scripts explain
Eg. we have scripts for what to expect when 1 goes to the movies.
Scripts are developed within a cultural context - they are not universal. When we travel, often our scripts don’t lead to the predicted outcomes we expect.
E.g, if your script for stores involves going into a shop, picking up what you need, standing in line, and then paying the price on the label, you will find that many cultures around the world do not follow this script.
But with experience, you will eventually incorporate this knowledge into your script for how you shop.
Schema theory (mention after scripts)
a theory of how humans process incoming information, relate it to existing knowledge, and use it.
based on the assumption that humans are active processors of information.
Ppl do not passively respond to information. They interpret and integrate it to make sense of their experiences, but they are not always aware of it. If information is missing, the brain fills in the blanks based on existing schemas.
this can result in mistakes.
Bartlett context
In cog approach, it is assumed that cog processes are influenced by social & cultural factors.
Bartlett was one of the 1st to show how cultural schema influence remembering.
- found that ppl had problems remembering a story from another culture & that they reconstructed the story to fit in with their own cultural schemas.
- B demonstrated that memory is not like a photograph or an audio recording, but rather that ppl remember in terms of what makes sense to them.
—-why memory is subject to distortions
Aim of Bartlett
The aim of Bartlett’s classic study was to investigate how the memory of a story is affected by previous knowledge. He wanted to see if cultural background and unfamiliarity with a text would lead to distortion of memory when the story was recalled.
Bartlett method
1 of the techniques he used was serial reproduction
2nd technique used by Bartlett was repeated reproduction
repeated reproduction
a participant learns the material & then recalls it repeatedly over various testing occasions. It is the same person who recalls the same story each time.
serial reproduction
where participant A reads a story and then reproduces
it to participant B who then reproduces it to participant C, and so on until six or seven reproductions have been created.
Bartlett method
Bartlett told participants a Native American legend called The War of the Ghosts. The participants were British; for them, the story was filled with unfamiliar names and concepts, and the style was foreign to them.
allocated the participants to one of two conditions.
- 1 group was asked to use repeated reproduction
- 2nd group was told to use serial reproduction
Bartlett results
- found that there was no significant difference between the way that the groups recalled the story
- story became shorter
- story became more conventional - details were only kept if they could be assimilated the social and cultural background of the participants
- participants also tended to change the order of the story in order to make sense of it using terms more familiar to the culture of the participants
Bartlett conclusion
The participants overall remembered the main themes in the story but changed the unfamiliar elements to match their own cultural expectations so that the story remained a coherent whole although changed.
