reconstructive memory Flashcards
(21 cards)
Who designed reconstructive memory?
Fredrick BARTLETT
What does reconstructive memory (RM) suggest about memory?
it’s not a perfect or accurate recording of events
What does RM suggest happens to our memory?
It’s reconstructed/reshaped based on past experiences or prior knowledge
What does RM suggest about recalling events?
When we recall events they’re not the same as when they were originally encoded due to our schemas and what they think was supposed to happen
What are schemas?
mental frameworks built on individual knowledge such as personal experiences, religion, culture and expectations.
What do schemas do?
Fill in gaps in our memories
make sense of info
organise what we know
remove / change details
What can schemas lead to?
stereotypes and discrimination
What is shortening in memory?
parts of our memory are reduced
What is confabulation?
elements are added/changed to our memory to fill in gaps
What is rationalisation?
When parts of memory are distorted to fill schemas to make the memory more meaningful
What happens to our schemas when we assimilate new information?
our schemas change to fit what we have learned
What happens when we accommodate new information?
our memories change to keep our schemas intact and unchanged
what does levelling involve?
removing or downplaying details from the memory
What does sharpening involve?
Adding or exaggerating details of a memory
How does Bartletts War Of The Ghosts study (1932) add credibility to RM?
(C.o.d.a)
aimed to see if recall from memory is reconstructive
showed 20 British pp’s an Inuit tale twice and then 15 minutes later they had to retell it to someone who had never heard of/read it before
Found that the story was significantly shortened and memories were confabulated as phrases were changed to languages/concepts from the pp’s own culture (boats instead of canoes)
How does Loftus and Palmer’s 1974 study add credibility to RM?
(C.o.d.a)
Aimed to show that leading questions could distort EWT accounts via the cues provided in the question
45 American students were shown a film depicting a car accident and were then asked to describe what had happened as if they were EWT - Afterwards they were asked specific questions
Those who were asked a question with the verb “smashed” thought the car went faster than those who were asked the question with “hit”
Participants reconstructed their memories by incorporating the new info they learnt after the incident
How do ethics oppose the RM?
(c.O.d.a)
ethics associating with questioning memory is complex- may force victims of abuse to doubt their memorises of what happened to them
How is RM criticised?
(c.O.d.a)
Lack of precision regarding how memory is reconstructed, the concept of ‘reconstruction’ is not fully defined and lacks clarity about how it works
What’s the opposition of Loftus + Palmer’s 1974 study in credibility for RM?
(c.O.d.a)
lacks ecological validity
What is a different theory of memory?
(c.o.D.a)
Tulving’s semantic memory (LTM) theory- our memory has semantic stores where we keep our understanding of knowledge
similar to schemas in which sensory memory may have more influence over episodic memory because schemas dictate how we reconstruct memory
How can RM be applied to eyewitness testimonies?
(c.o.d.A)
Highlights how memories of witnessed events can be influenced by external factors like leading questions
