Schema Theory

A schema is defined as…

• A cognitive framework that structures and helps individuals interpret information

• An overgeneralized belief of another person/group

• Encoding of memory

• How a person uses visual and spatial information to represent information

Select the factors that can change a schema

• Retrieval

• Assimilation

• Accomodation

• Rehearsal

What were the findings of Bartlett (1932) study?

• Participants distort the story to fit their cultural schemas

• Participants remember the story exactly

• Participants could not remember the story at all

• Participants acquired a different schema because of the story

What is an example of a script (event schema)?

• Having high self esteem

• Negative body image

• Staying quiet in a library

• Believing psychology students are rude

What were the findings of Anderson and Pichert (1978)?

• Change in perspective does not affect recall

• Participants in home buyer condition recalled more burglar information

• Participants in burglar condition recalled more home buyer information

• Participants who changed perspective recalled more details

How can schemas cause reconstructive memory?

• Schemas fill in gaps of information

• Schemas start stereotypes

• Schemas make people forget information

• Schemas cannot be altered

What is a strength of both Barlett (1932) and Anderson and Pichert (1978)?

• High ecological validity

• High internal validity

• Reduced order effects

• Reduced participant variables

Why is memory not always reliable?

• Schemas always change

• People are forgetful

• Forgotten information can be filled in with schemas

• Information gets encoded in STM instead of LTM

Empirical studies that support schema theory are unbiased because it included cross-cultural/diverse participants

• True

• False

One weakness of schema theory is that it does not state how a schema is initially formed

• True

• False