Cognitive Approach: Schema Theory

What is the definition of Schema?

Cognitive structure that provides the framework for organizing the world: People, Places, Events

What is bottom-up processing?

Based on sensory system

Perceive the individual parts and then organize them into a whole

stimulus or input driven

What is top-down processing?

Pre-stored information in memory

Interpretation of stimuli

Experience driven

often a source of misperception

What are the main types of schema?

Relationship, self, social, script, gender

What is Script Schema?

Provide information about the sequence of events

Restaurant, dentist, class

What is self schema?

Information about ourselves

Strengths and weaknesses: How we feel about them

What is social schema?

Information about groups of people

What is the difference between a concept and a schema?

A schema is made of a bunch of concepts. A concept is a single unit of knowledge. i.e. offices have desks

What influences Gender Schemas?

Societies beliefs about the traits of females and males

How do gender schema influence behavior?

Influences self-esteem (only behavior or attitudes consistent with gender schema are acceptable)

Influence how and what social information we process

What is aschematic information?

Information that is not in-line with schema

What are the strengths of schema theory?

Useful in explaining many cognitive processes

Perception, memory, reasoning

Helps us understand reconstructive memory

What are the limitations of schema theory?

Theory is too vague

Doesn't explain how schemas develop

Focuses too much on inaccuracies of memory

How is Bransford and Johnson, 1972 research different than Bartlett?

Focused on process/stages; Bartlett focused on retrieval

What is the conclusion of Darley and Gross, 1983?

Social schemas (SES) influenced the way individuals judged/perceived the ambiguous situation

What does SES stand for>

socioeconomic status

What were the two groups for Darley and Gross, 1983?

Group 1: led to believe that she was a low SES background

Group 2: led to believe that she was a high SES background

what method and design did Darley and Gross, 1983 use?

Experiment (independent samples)

Why do schemas impact memory encoding?

Providing context before something that is unfamiliar will increase memory recall

- coding is more effective

Why do schema impact memory retrieval?

When schemas are triggered before memory retrieval (recognition or recall) memory scores can go up or down

-New information is actively perceived through the schema lens

-Triggered during encoding

-Schemas are activated as we retrieve from LTM too

Who studied the impact of schemas on memory encoding?

Bransford and Johnson, 1972

How did Bransford and Johnson, 1972 measure memory retrieval?

recall of story details

which group in Bransford and Johnson, 1972 research had the highest rate of recall?

full context picture (double the memory score)

wWhat was the conclusion of Bransford and Johnson, 1972 research?

Full context picture creates a mental representation (schema) of the story and increases encoding of new information.

How is memory measured when participants are asked to recall the details of a story?

idea units (established BEFORE the research)

Who conducted research on how schemas impact memory retrieval?

Anderson and Pichert, 1978

What method and design did Anderson and Pichert, 1978 use?

experiment with mixed design

What were the two perspectives participants were asked to take in the Anderson and Pichert, 1978 research?

Home-buyer or burglar perspective

How many filler tasks were used in Anderson and Pichert, 1978 research?

two

- one 12 minute, one 5 minute

Why are filler tasks used in research like Anderson and Pichert, 1978?

to guarantee that they are testing long term memory, not short term memory.

Why did the changed perspective group recall more information in the Anderson and Pichert, 1978 research?

Recalled 7.1% new information

- Recalled info not previously recalled

- new perspective triggered memories not previously emphasized (shows impact of schemas)

How has schema theory helped us understand other areas of cognition?

-Helps us understand reconstructive memory (Eyewitness testimony)

- Gender identity

- Cultural differences

What behavior does schema research usually focus on?

Focuses too much on inaccuracies of memory

Most memory tasks are relatively accurate

what were the research implications of Mahon et al (2009)?

found that from the visual cortex, information about living and non-living objects is shuttled to different parts of the brain .

These findings suggest that our brains automatically sort information and classify it, in the same manner which schema theory predicts.

What biologically based research supports schema theory?

Mahon et al (2009)

Apply Testable (TEACUP) to Schema Theory

Schema theory is testable.

Apply Empirical Evidence (TEACUP) to Schema Theory

There is also biological research to support the way in which the brain categorizes input.

- Mahon et al (2009)

Apply Applications (TEACUP) to Schema Theory

Schema theory has been applied to help us understand how memory works. It also helps us to understand memory distortion.

- It is a robust theory that has many applications across many fields of psychology.

Apply Construct Validity (TEACUP) to Schema Theory

Cohen (1993) argued that the concept of schema is too vague and hypothetical to be useful.

Apply Unbiased (TEACUP) to Schema Theory

Schema theory is applied across cultures. There is no apparent bias in the research, although most of the early research was done in the West.

Apply Predict (TEACUP) to Schema Theory

Yes, we can predict behavior with this theory. BUT, we cannot predict exactly what an individual will recall.