Quiz 1 - Schema and Memory

Which of the following is not true about schema?

• We continue to create new schema throughout our lives.

• There is biological support that our brain categorizes information into what could be called "schema."

• Schema play a role in what we remember and what we fail to remember.

• Schema are observable by using modern brain scanning technology.

Which of the following was not one of the findings of Bartlett's War with Ghosts study?

• There were many extra details added to the story, making the story longer than the original.

• The story remained coherent - that is, it had a clear plot.

• Unimportant details were left out of the story.

• Culturally unfamiliar details were changed to things that were more culturally relevant to the British participants.

On a trip to a foreign country, you stand in the entrance to a restaurant waiting to be seated. No one pays any attention to you. After several minutes, you start to get a bit upset and ready to leave, when you notice one of the waiters walking past. You ask if someone is going to seat you - and he says, you can just sit anywhere. How would a cognitive psychologist explain what just happened?

• You are a cognitive miser. You should have read a guide book about the restaurant first.

• You had rationalized that since you were a tourist, you would be noticed and helped.

• You were following a script for what to expect in a restaurant which did not apply in this culture.

• Emotion had interfered with your decision making processes.

Why can we say that Bartlett's War with Ghosts study has low reliability?

• The procedure was not properly standardized.

• He only used British participants.

• We cannot actually observe schemas actively processing information in the brain.

• Many people dropped out of the study, so there was not enough data.

Our "mental model" or "mental framework", containing everything we know about a particular object, person, situation or event is known as...

• Semantic

• Schema

• Explicit memory

• Implicit memory

Schemas help us...

• to guide our behavior.

• predict what will happen next.

• organize memories and help us recall information.

• all of the above.

Bradsford and Johnson found that the group that was told the topic of the paragraph before they listened to it had significantly better memory than the other two groups.

• True

• False

"Many people assume that memory ____________, but research suggests that memory is _________________"

• works like a video camera / made up of schemas

• made up of schemas / works like a video camera

• works like a video camera / influenced by prior knowledge

• influenced by prior knowledge / works like a video camera

Which is NOT one of the predicted effects of schemas on memory?

• When you aren't completely sure of what happened, you may fill the gaps in your memory with a "best guess".

• Unusual, surprising details will be remembered with increased accuracy.

• Schemas improve memory by relating new information to prior knowledge.

• Schema-consistent information will be remembered better.

What is the main criticism of schema theory?

• Schema theory has not been supported by research evidence.

• A schema cannot be observed or studied directly.

• Schemas can lead to memory distortions.

• The concept of a schema is not well defined.