Reconstructive Memory Flashcards
(12 cards)
Who proposed RM theory?
Bartlett
What does Bartlett suggest about memories?
memories are retrieved through a reconstructive process however may lose accuracy every time they are recalled.
What is a schema?
a mental reconstruction of an object, event, person, etc, based on out past experiences of that thing.
What is accomodation?
Memories we recall from out schemas are consistent with our past experiences of that thing.
What is confabulation?
Schemas fill in gaps in our memories.
What is omission?
We forget/remove irrelevant or inappropriate information from our Schema.
What is rationalisation?
memories change because the newer alteration makes more sense to our schema
Supporting evidence for RM?
Loftus and Palmer - changing the verb of a car crash to be more aggressive made the students remember a more aggressive car accident with broken glass, etc.
War of the Ghosts - canoe became boat, seal hunting became fishing, etc.
What is conflicting evidence for RM?
Yullie and Cutshall - real eye witness testimonies of a robbery did not change with leading questions.
Brewer and Treyens - a skull was remembered in the office block when it should have been omitted
What is another theory to RM?
Less holistic than WMM as it doesn’t consider how memories are formed, only recalled.
OTOH, different to other theories so more holistic
What is the usefulness of RM?
Useful for understanding that eye witness testimonies may be altered (OTOH Yullie and Cutshall)
Dementia, understanding that Schemas can get muddled and that validation therapy should be used to not cause distress to patients.
What is the Testability of RM?
War of the Ghosts study lacks ecological validity
