Schema Theory

Question 1

Define a schema in the context of cognitive psychology.

Answer 1

A schema is a mental representation that enables us to organize our knowledge into categories.

Question 2

Describe the role of schemas in our interactions with the world.

Answer 2

Schemas help simplify our interactions with the world by acting as mental shortcuts that can both assist and hinder our understanding.

Question 3

How do schemas influence learning and thinking processes?

Answer 3

Schemas allow us to learn and think more quickly by providing a framework for processing information.

Question 4

Explain the potential negative effects of schemas.

Answer 4

Some schemas may lead to stereotypes, causing misinterpretation or incorrect recall of information.

Question 5

List the different types of schemas mentioned in the content.

Answer 5

The types of schemas include object schemas, person schemas, social schemas, event schemas, role schemas, and self-schemas.

Question 6

What is the process by which schemas are modified?

Answer 6

Schemas are modified through assimilation or accommodation as we gain more information.

Question 7

Describe role schemas.

Answer 7

Role schemas are about proper behaviors in given situations.

Question 8

What are self schemas?

Answer 8

Self schemas are about oneself, including idealized or projected selves and expectations that guide the processing of self-relevant information.

Question 9

Explain person schemas.

Answer 9

Person schemas are about individual people and include expectations based on personality traits.

Question 10

What do event schemas pertain to?

Answer 10

Event schemas are about what happened in specific situations and include expectations about sequences of events in social contexts.

Question 11

How do schemas influence encoding according to the content?

Answer 11

Schemas influence encoding by shaping how we process and remember information.

Question 12

Summarize the aim of Bransford and Johnson’s (1972) study.

Answer 12

The aim was to investigate the effect of context on comprehension and memory of text passages.

Question 13

Describe the procedure used in Bransford and Johnson’s study.

Answer 13

Participants listened to a prerecorded passage and were asked to recall it as accurately as possible under five different conditions.

Question 14

What were the five conditions in Bransford and Johnson’s study?

Answer 14

1. Heard the passage once. 2. Heard the passage twice. 3. Provided a context picture before the passage. 4. Provided a context picture after hearing the passage. 5. Context picture before the passage, but objects were rearranged.

Question 15

What was measured in the results of Bransford and Johnson’s study?

Answer 15

The recollection of the sample was measured in idea units.

Question 16

What was the recollection result without context in Bransford and Johnson’s study?

Answer 16

Without context, the recollection was 3 idea units.

Question 17

Describe the influence of context on memory recall as indicated by the study.

Answer 17

Participants who were shown context before reading a passage were able to recollect more data compared to those who did not have context.

Question 18

Define schemas in the context of memory retrieval.

Answer 18

Schemas are cognitive structures that help organize knowledge and influence how new information is perceived, stored, and recalled.

Question 19

How does changing perspectives affect memory recall according to the study’s results?

Answer 19

Participants who changed perspectives recalled an additional 7.1% of information related to the other perspective, while those who did not change recalled 2.9% less.

Question 20

What is the procedure followed in Anderson and Pichert’s study?

Answer 20

Participants were assigned roles, read a passage, completed a filler task, recalled the passage, and had the option to change perspectives before recalling again.

Question 21

Explain the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing.

Answer 21

Bottom-up processing is data-driven and involves processing sensory information as it comes in, while top-down processing involves retrieving information from Long Term Memory to Short Term Memory.

Question 22

Summarize the conclusion drawn from the study regarding schemas and memory.

Answer 22

Schemas organize knowledge in memory, influencing how new information is perceived and how it is stored and recalled from Long Term Memory.

Question 23

What role does context play in organizing knowledge according to the study?

Answer 23

Context helps individuals organize their knowledge according to existing schemas, which influences memory retrieval.

Question 24

How long were participants given to read the passage in the study?

Answer 24

Participants were given two minutes to read the passage.

Question 25

What was the duration of the vocabulary test used as a filler in the study?

Answer 25

The vocabulary test lasted for 12 minutes.

Question 26

What was the length of the passage participants had to read in the study?

Answer 26

The passage was 373 words long.

Question 27

Describe how cognitive schemas influence memory.

Answer 27

Cognitive schemas are mental representations that organize our knowledge, beliefs, and expectations, which come from prior experiences. They influence memory at all stages: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Question 28

How did Bransford and Johnson (1972) study the effects of context on memory?

Answer 28

They had participants listen to a text passage under five conditions, including no context and showing a context picture before the passage. The highest memory recall occurred when the context picture was shown before the passage.

Question 29

Define social schemas and provide an example.

Answer 29

Social schemas are mental representations about a group of people, often forming stereotypes. An example is a schema about the characteristics of a specific profession.

Question 30

What was the main finding of Anderson and Pichert (1978) regarding perspective and memory recall?

Answer 30

Participants who changed their perspective recalled more information relevant to the new perspective, showing an increase of 7.1% in new information recalled.

Question 31

Explain the concept of self-schemas.

Answer 31

Self-schemas are mental representations about ourselves, encompassing our beliefs, traits, and behaviors.

Question 32

How do scripts function as a type of schema?

Answer 32

Scripts are schemas that represent sequences of events, guiding our understanding of how certain activities unfold, such as making coffee or driving.

Question 33

Summarize the findings of Darley & Gross (1983) regarding social schemas.

Answer 33

The study found that participants’ perceptions of a girl taking an academic test were influenced by their beliefs about her socioeconomic status, affecting their evaluation of her performance.

Question 34

What role does prior knowledge play in the processing of new information?

Answer 34

Prior knowledge acts as a lens or filter, shaping how we receive and process new information, often leading to biases.

Question 35

Describe the procedure used in the Bransford & Johnson (1972) study.

Answer 35

Participants listened to a text passage under different conditions, including no context, hearing the passage twice, and being shown a context picture before and after the passage.

Question 36

How do schemas affect memory retrieval?

Answer 36

Schemas can influence the type of information recalled during memory retrieval, as demonstrated by the findings of Anderson and Pichert (1978) where perspective changes affected recall.

Question 37

Describe the findings related to participants’ perceptions of a child’s academic performance based on SES background.

Answer 37

Participants who believed the child came from a high SES background gave higher ratings for academic performance compared to those who thought the child was from a low SES background.

Question 38

Define the aim of Bower, Black, and Turner’s 1979 study.

Answer 38

The aim was to investigate whether subjects would use underlying scripts stored in memory to fill in gaps of actions not explicitly mentioned in a text when recalling it.

Question 39

How did the procedure of Bower, Black, and Turner’s study work?

Answer 39

Participants were presented with two similar texts that shared only the opening and closing statements, specifically about visiting a doctor’s office versus a dentist’s office.

Question 40

What were the findings of Bower, Black, and Turner’s study regarding memory and scripts?

Answer 40

Participants were prone to inserting gap fillers in the second story using information from the first story, such as adding details like ‘checking in with the receptionist’ in the dentist story.

Question 41

Explain Aaron Beck’s Theory of Depression.

Answer 41

Aaron Beck’s Theory of Depression posits that depressed individuals develop a negative self-schema and engage in automatic thinking patterns, which are considered the driving forces behind depression.