Schema theory, Reconstructive Memory, and Emotion quizlet

What two questions does schema theory seek to answer?

How does the mind organize information and how does the organization of the mind influence cognitive processing like memory?

What are schemas?

Schemas are mental representations.

What is assimilation (in schema theory)?

In schema theory, assimilation occurs when we view life through the lens of our schemas, possibly editing or altering reality to 'fit' our existing schemas.

What is accommodation (in schema theory)?

Accommodation occurs when we change our schemas to fit reality.

Name two benefits of schemas.

Schemas help us organize incoming information, which improves comprehension and encoding. Schemas also reduce cognitive effort.

Name a downside of schemas.

Schemas my lead us to incorrect assumptions or mistakes in memory.

Describe reconstructive memory.

Memory is not fixed like a videotape, instead it is continually being 'constructed' or altered. Details are changed and gaps in our memory our filled in by our schemas, imaginations, information acquired later.

What is assimilation (in reconstructive memory)?

In reconstructive memory, assimilation is when we add or change details of our memories.

What are 3 common ways our memories change?

We tend to add/change details to show causality, we tend to add/change details based on things we learned after the memory took place, and we tend to add /change details to better fit our schemas.

What is emotion?

Emotion is a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event

What are flashbulb memories and how did the theory develop?

FBM are memories of surprising and emotional events. The theory was developed to explain why 'everyone' seemed to have extremely vivid and detailed memories of tragic events such as the assassinations of JFK and MLK.

Describe 4 ways emotion affects memory.

Emotional memories are more vivid, people feel like they relive the memory, and people are very confident in the accuracy of those memories. Emotional memories also involve more activation of the amydala.