reconstructive memory (Bartlett, 1932)

Question 1

what is a schema?

Answer 1

• mental representation of info about specific event or object including ideas scripts expectations and rules

Question 2

confabulation

Answer 2

• when information is added to fill in gaps to make story or make sense

Question 3

interpretation

Answer 3

• part of a presentation or portrayal of info altered to conform to a specific set of symbols

Question 4

input

Answer 4

• the sensory information we receive from our environment

Question 5

process

Answer 5

• the mechanisms by which people take in stimuli, react and behave

Question 6

output

Answer 6

• the action or process of producing something and preparing an appropriate response for our stimulus

Question 7

what did bartlett believe about studying memory?

Answer 7

• experiments should capture human beings, not just reactions
• memory should not be divided into separate parts
• memory should not be treated as independent from other functioning
• memory should be studied in a special way
• focus on the relationship between memory and other cognitive processes

Question 8

what did bartlett believe about memory?

Answer 8

• memory is not like a tape recorder
• memory is not perfectly formed, encoded, or retrieved
• a retrieved memory is unlikely to be exactly the same as the original
• past and current experiences affect memory for events

Question 9

what are the stages involved in memory processing

Answer 9

• INPUT: the perception of an event
• PROCESSING: includes perception and interpretation

Question 10

what is reconstruction in memory

Answer 10

• reconstruction is an active process due to gaps in memory
• we unconsciously fill in gaps using stereotypes and schemas
• this produces distorted memories we accept as real
• memory involves traces encoded at the time and ideas from knowledge, expectations, beliefs, and attitudes
• remembering alters knowledge to fit what the person already knows

Question 11

what did bartlett believe was necessary to study memory

Answer 11

• understand what precedes and follows memory
• perception is a precursor to memory
• devised exps to test memory for shapes and objects
• ppts often assigned verbal labels to shapes/objects
• labels shaped the representation of the object drawn later
• concluded perception determined how the object was remembered

Question 12

what did bartlett discover through his tests on imaging

Answer 12

• what is remembered is what is first imaged
• used ink blots to test how ppts described what they imaged
• ppts ‘rummaged’ through stored images to fit the ink blot pattern
• often described blots as plants or animals
• descriptions were influenced by personal interests, experiences, and mood
• coined the term ‘effort after meaning’ to describe how participants connect stimuli with personal knowledge or experience
• once a stimulus gains meaning, it can be more easily stored

Question 13

why did bartlett move away from artificial laboratory experiments

Answer 13

• he believed research into memory should capture human beings, not just reactions
• he often used stories in his research
• in his famous study, he asked ppts to read and recall the folk tale “The war of the ghosts”

Question 14

why did bartlett choose “The war of the ghosts” for his study

Answer 14

• it was culturally unfamiliar to participants
• it lacked a rational story order
• it encouraged visual imaging
• its conclusion was somewhat supernatural
• he wanted to see how participants would perceive and image it

Question 15

how did bartlett conduct his experiment with “The war of the ghosts”

Answer 15

• each ppt read the story twice
• repeat reproduction was used to test the effect of time lapse on recall
• bartlett was interested in the form of the reproduced story, especially after repeat reproductions

Question 16

how long did the participants in bartlett’s study recall the story

Answer 16

• ppts recalled the story after several minutes, weeks, months, and years
• longest time lapse was six and a half years

Question 17

what did bartlett find in his study of “The war of the ghosts”

Answer 17

• the story became shortened due to omissions (rationalised)
• phrases reflected modern concepts
• the story became more coherent in form
• objects in the story were made more familiar (e.g. canoe to boat, hunting seals to fishing)
• many ppts omitted or rationalised the role of the ghosts

Question 18

what did bartlett conclude about memory

Answer 18

• memory is a reconstruction each time it is recalled
• memory is rarely accurate and prone to rationalisation and confabulation
• errors can occur even after a couple of minutes and tend to be repeated
• the process of remembering is constructive and influenced by inferences made by the individual

Question 19

what is bartlett’s theory of reconstructive memory

Answer 19

• memory is constructive, not a passive and accurate record
• previous knowledge is used to interpret information and reconstruct memories
• recalling an event involves drawing on past experiences, filling in gaps, and creating an understandable story
• it is an imaginative reconstruction of events
• bartlett used the concept of schema to explain this process

Question 20

what are schemas

Answer 20

• parcels of stored knowledge or mental representations of information about a specific object or event

Question 21

how did bartlett say schemas influence memory recall

Answer 21

• we do not remember everything we perceive
• we use existing schemas to fill in gaps when recalling an event
• recall is an active reconstruction
• it is strongly influenced by previous knowledge, expectations, and beliefs

Question 22

how are schemas used in recognition and interpretation

Answer 22

• schemas help interpret unfamiliar objects and events
• for example, using existing schema to interpret ink blots
• or using cinema schema when going to the theatre for the first time