Schema Theory Flashcards
What is schema theory?
A set of general ideas that theories about schemas have in common
What is a schema?
An organised unit of knowledge for a subject or an event that is based on past experiences
What are the key aspects of schemas?
- They guide how we interpret information
- develop and change based on past experiences
- store declarative (what) and procedural information( why)
What studies show evidence for schema theory?
- Palmer
- Loftus and Palmer
- Bergman and Roedinger
Palmer
Investigated the relationship between the presentation of contextual scenes and the accuracy of object identification. Palmer presented participants with pairs of slides, the first presenting a scene (context) and the second being an object shown briefly, with participants having to state what the object was. Four different conditions were included (appropriate condition, inappropriate different condition, inappropriate similar condition, blank context slide). Palmer found that appropriate objects were identified the most , no context second, inappropriate different third and inappropriate similar last. Palmer concluded that contextual scenes make your brain produce all terms associated with the scene due to the likelihood of the features appearing on the next slide, which caused inappropriate conditions to have the lowest accuracy.
Loftus and Palmer
Aimed to investigate the effect of a questions phrasing on speed estimates (as well as determining whether this effect had an impact on peoples memories of the event). Participants were shown a video of a car crash with two groups being asked either how fast the cars were going when they smashed or how when they hit with the verbs smashed and hit being switched depending on the group. They were then asked a week later if they had seen any broken glass. There was a significant difference between the mean speed estimates depending on the verb used with smashed having higher speed estimates and people associating the verb ‘smashed’ with broken glass.
- ethical as the ppts didn’t watch actual car crashes
- lacks ecological validity as it was done in a lab
- good control and clear operationalisation
