Schema Theory

Question 1

Schema

Answer 1

A “mental model” or “mental framework” containing everything you know about a particular object, subject, situation or event

• Aids organization and recall of memories
• Helps guide behaviour
• Helps you predict what will happen next

Schemas influence encoding (learning new information) and decoding(using information that already exists in the brain).

Question 2

Types of Schema

Answer 2

1) Social schema - mental representations about various groups of people [Darley and Gross (1983)]
2) Scripts - mental representations about events (like going to a movie or restaurant) [Bower, Black, and Turner (1979)]
3) Self schema - schemas about ourselves (people with negative self schema tend to have higher chances of depression) [Aaron Beck]

Question 3

Types of Processing

Answer 3

Bottom-up: occurs when cognitive process is data driven
Top-down: occurs when your prior knowledge or expectations(schemas) act as a lens. (biases)

Question 4

Uses

Answer 4

Using schematic processing, we see patteerns in otherwise unstructured stimuli (pattern recognition) and meaning in those patterns (effort after meaning).

Information consistent with our schemas are easier to remember. Information inconsistent with them may be forgotten or distorted to “fit” our schema.

When you can’t remember an event, you may “fill in” the missing details with your best guess based on your schema for that event.

Question 5

Bartlett (1932)

Answer 5

Aim:
To investigate how memory works and how it is reconstructed based on existing knowledge and schemas.

Methodology:
Participants read a Native American folktale (“The War of the Ghosts”).
They were then asked to recall the story at various time intervals (e.g., immediately, after days or weeks).
Bartlett observed how the story changed in each recall.

Results:
The story became shortened, simplified, and distorted to fit the participants’ cultural schemas.
Unfamiliar details were omitted or changed (e.g., “canoes” became “boats”).

Conclusion:
Memory is reconstructive, not reproductive. We reconstruct memories based on existing knowledge and schemas, leading to distortions and simplifications over time.

Question 6

Darley and Gross (1983)

Answer 6

Darley and Gross (1983) Study Summary:

67 US students

Aim: To investigate how people form impressions of others based on limited information, specifically exploring the role of context in shaping these impressions.

Methodology: Participants watched a video of a young girl either from a “high” or “low” socioeconomic background. They were then asked to evaluate her academic potential based on the video.

Results: Participants who saw the girl from the “high” socioeconomic background rated her more positively in terms of academic potential, while those who saw her from the “low” background rated her less favorably.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that prior knowledge or context (like socioeconomic status) can influence how people interpret and form impressions, leading to biased judgments.

Question 7

Bower, Black, and Turner (1979)

Answer 7

Aim: To explore how prior knowledge and schemas influence memory recall.

Procedure:
The researchers used short texts describing sequences of actions, for example, visiting the dentist (having a toothache, making an appointment, checking in with the receptionist, and so on). Some of the steps in these descriptions were missing.

Results - It was demonstrated that when recalling the texts, participants would ll in the gaps and “remember” actions that were not actually in the text. For example, they would recall checking in with the receptionist even if this was skipped in the text.

Conclusion - This shows that participants encoded the text based on an underlying script.

Question 8

Aaron Beck (1976)

Answer 8

Aim: To investigate how self-schemas influence the way people perceive and interpret experiences, particularly in those with depression.

Methodology: Beck used cognitive therapy and assessments to explore the thought patterns and self-beliefs of depressed individuals. He examined how they viewed themselves in terms of worth and ability.

Results: Depressed individuals had negative self-schemas, leading them to interpret situations in ways that reinforced their negative self-view, such as focusing on failures and ignoring successes.

Conclusion: Beck concluded that negative self-schemas contribute to the development and maintenance of depression by distorting perception and reinforcing negative thinking patterns.