Bransford and Johnson (1972) - Study | Psychology

Name of the Researcher(s)

Bransford and Johnson

Year of Publication

1972

Aim

To determine if the activation of a schema would result in a better comprehension and recollection of an ambiguous passage.

Participants and Procedure

Participants = 52 Participants

1. Participants were randomly allocated to three conditions:

   a. No Topic Condition = Participants head passage without additional information.

   b. Topic After Condition = Participants were told the topic afterhand.

   c. Topic Before Condition = Participants were told the topic beforehand.

2. All participants listened to a pre-recorded tape of an ambiguous passage about washing clothes.

3. They were instructed to recall the passage as accurately as possible up to 18 idea units.

Results

The condition who heard the topic beforehand had a significantly better recollection than the other two conditions.

Conclusion

Prior knowledge is only helpful if the schema is activated beforehand.

Strengths

+ High Internal Validity —> Cause-and-Effect
+ Standardized —> Replicability
+ Application to School

Limitations

- Researchers can’t be certain schema was activated.
- Participant Variability