The research by Bartlett (1932) is identified in the Specification along with the concept of schemas. You need to understand these concepts and evaluate them, including how they differ from the multi-store model. It would also be helpful to know about more recent research into reconstructive memory, such as that by Elizabeth Loftus.
|
BARTLETT (1932)
|
For example, in a Japanese sushi bar you might not know what behaviour is expected of you and it would be hard to make sense of what the other customers were doing and eating.
But if you paid attention, you would figure it out: you would start to develop a new schema.
|
- Sometimes we accommodate new information, changing our memories to keep our schemas intact and unchanged. Bartlett explains how we do this by levelling and sharpening. Levelling involves removing or downplaying details from the memory and sharpening involves adding or exaggerating details.
Memory makes use of schemas to organise things. When we recall an event, our schemas tell us what is supposed to happen. The schemas might fill in the gaps in our memory (confabulation) and even put pressure on our mind to remember things in a way that fits in with the schema, removing or changing details. For example, you might remember the Japanese diners eating with chopsticks (because that’s part of your schema for Japanese meals) whereas in reality the Japanese use their fingers to eat sushi.
THE WAR OF THE GHOSTS
Bartlett came up with the idea of “reconstructive memory” during a game of ‘Chinese Whispers’. He developed a study based on this game. Bartlett showed 20 students a Native American ghost story (The War of the Ghosts) which had unusual features. He asked them to read it then recall it on several occasions after a few hours, days, weeks or even years – a technique called serial reproduction (and a Repeated Measures design). Bartlett compared how the recalled versions of the story differed from the original.
Participants shortened the story when they reproduced it, from 330 words to 180 words, with the shortest reproduction happening after the longest gap (two years).
Participants also confabulated details, changing unfamiliar parts of the story to familiar ideas in line with their schemas: canoes and paddles became boats and oars, hunting seals became fishing. Participants rationalised the story, coming up with explanations for baffling parts of the story. For example, in later reproductions, participants missed out the “ghosts” and just described a battle between Native American tribes. Bartlett didn’t use many experimental controls, asking participants to reproduce the story whenever was convenient. He bumped into one student in the street two years later and asked her to reproduce The War of the Ghosts there and then. The changes in the stories were also down to his own subjective opinion. |
War of the Ghosts
One night two young men from Egulac went down to the river to hunt seals and while they were there it became foggy and calm. Then they heard war-cries, and they thought: "Maybe this is a war-party". They escaped to the shore, and hid behind a log. Now canoes came up, and they heard the noise of paddles, and saw one canoe coming up to them. There were five men in the canoe, and they said: "What do you think? We wish to take you along. We are going up the river to make war on the people." One of the young men said,"I have no arrows." "Arrows are in the canoe," they said. "I will not go along. I might be killed. My relatives do not know where I have gone. But you," he said, turning to the other, "may go with them." So one of the young men went, but the other returned home. And the warriors went on up the river to a town on the other side of Kalama. The people came down to the water and they began to fight, and many were killed. But presently the young man heard one of the warriors say, "Quick, let us go home: that Indian has been hit." Now he thought: "Oh, they are ghosts." He did not feel sick, but they said he had been shot. So the canoes went back to Egulac and the young man went ashore to his house and made a fire. And he told everybody and said: "Behold I accompanied the ghosts, and we went to fight. Many of our fellows were killed, and many of those who attacked us were killed. They said I was hit, and I did not feel sick." He told it all, and then he became quiet. When the sun rose he fell down. Something black came out of his mouth. His face became contorted. The people jumped up and cried. He was dead |
RESEARCH INTO RECONSTRUCTIVE MEMORY
|
APPLYING RECONSTRUCTIVE MEMORY (AO2)
|
EVALUATING RECONSTRUCTIVE MEMORY (AO3)
|
Don't start with description: start with evaluation.
Evaluation point + evidence = "logical chain of reasoning"
4 of these "logical chains" are enough for a 8-mark question
Issues & Debates like usefulness make great conclusions
|
EXEMPLAR ESSAY
|