Schema Theory - Bartlett

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

to investigate the effect of cultural schemas on the memory of a culturally unfamiliar story

Question 2

Method

Answer 2

Participants in the study were told a Native American legend called “The War of Ghosts”. However, the participants were British and therefore the story was unfamiliar in many aspects such as concepts and names.

Participants were assigned to two conditions; the first group was asked to use repeated reproduction (reproduce the story over time) and the second group used serial reproduction (recall and repeat to another person).

Question 3

Results

Answer 3

• no significant difference between the way the groups recalled the story
• similar patterns of memory distortion that took place.
• shortening the story, adding extra details (sharpening) to make sense of it
• changing unfamiliar elements to match their own cultural expectations so that the story remained coherent (assimilation)
• Therefore, details of the story were unconsciously changed to fit the norms of British Culture.

Question 4

Conclusion

Answer 4

Therefore, Bartlett’s study supports her theory as it suggests that memories are not copies of experiences, but rather a reconstruction, where information is retrieved and changed to fit into existing schemas. This is done in order to create meaning in the incoming information. This suggests that our memories are not always reliable, as existing schemas, in this case cultural schemas, can affect how we process and remember information.