Bartlett and schemas

what is a schema?

a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that shape our understanding of the world

What do schemas do?

understand the world around us

fill in information gaps

make it easier to predict behaviour

how can schemas disadvantage us?

they can be wrong

lead to generalisations

misunderstandings, distortions and cognitive errors

What study gives evidence for schemas?

war of the ghosts

describe the method of bartletts study?

participants were given a native American folk tale to remember they were then asked to tell it to the next participant and so on like a game of Chinese whispers

In what ways was the story changed?

it became shorter as details were omitted

details were changed to be more inline with cultural expectations

the order of events changed