COGNITIVE APPROACH - Schema Theory (Bartlett)
16 important questions on COGNITIVE APPROACH - Schema Theory (Bartlett)
What is a cognitive schema and who introduced schema theory?
How can schema be used to explain the tragedy that happened in the bar in Switzerland on NYE?
What were the aims of Bartlett's (1932) War of the Ghosts study?
- Investigate how prior knowledge and cultural schemas affect recall and reconstruction of a story.
- See if unfamiliar, culturally foreign material leads to systematic distortions in memory.
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What were the key results of Bartlett's 1932 study on memory?
- No significant difference between repeated and serial reproduction in distortions.
- Story became shorter (leveling).
- More consistent with British cultural expectations (assimilation).
- Structure reorganized for coherence (sharpening).
- Participants kept main themes, changed unfamiliar elements.
- Supports reconstructive memory theory.
Describe the sampling method used in Bartlett's study.
- British participants (exact number not specified).
- Opportunity/convenience sampling (people readily available to Bartlett, e.g., students/adults in Cambridge).
Give examples of schemas in everyday situations.
- Social cues (knowing the process to order food)
- Finding a chair to sit on
What are the strengths of Bartlett's 1932 study?
- One of the first studies to highlight how our mental frameworks (schemas) help us organize information.
- Used a Native American Folktale offers ecological validity, as recalling and retelling stories is a natural, everyday human behaviour.
- High reliability, procedure repeated multiple times using different stories.
What research method/design was used in Bartlett's study?
- Laboratory experiment (true experiment).
- Two conditions: Repeated reproduction and Serial reproduction.
How does schema processing develop and what are top down processes?
What limitations were identified in Bartlett's 1932 study?
- Weak standardisation: instructions, recall intervals, accuracy demands not controlled.
- Limited quantitative data, loose control reduce internal validity.
- Culturally biased sample, limiting generalisability.
- Culture not manipulated as IV, can't establish causal effect.
What were the independent and dependent variables in Bartlett's study?
- Independent Variable (IV): Method of reproduction (Repeated; recall, Serial; retelling it to other people).
- Dependent Variable (DV): Nature of the recalled story (Distortions in content, Omissions, Additions, Changes in length and structure).
What are bottom up processes in schema development?
How did Bartlett's 1932 study support the idea of reconstructive memory?
- Memory is not a literal copy of events.
- Participants altered unfamiliar elements to fit schemas.
- Distortions occurred over successive reproductions, supporting reconstructive theory.
What control variables were maintained in Bartlett's study?
- Same original story (Native American legend "War of the Ghosts").
- Same language of presentation (English).
- Same basic task (hear/read story, then recall it).
- Participants from similar cultural background (British).
Outline the procedure for Condition 1 in Bartlett's study.
- Condition 1 – Repeated reproduction:
- Participant recalls the story after a short delay.
- Same participant recalls it again after longer intervals (days, weeks, months, years).
Outline the procedure for Condition 2 in Bartlett's study.
- Participant A recalls the story and tells it to Participant B.
- Participant B recalls and tells it to Participant C, and so on.
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