Bartlett's Theory of Reconstructive Memory

• Active reconstruction

  • memory not an exact copy of what we encode , interpretation or reconstruction influenced by schemes
• schema

  a 'bit' of information or knowledge from previous experience of an event, person/place that influences how we remember new events
• Schemas can influence our memory in different ways :

  osmissions - leave out bits of info ( irrelevant,unpleasant )

  transformations - change details to make it more rational

  Familiarisation - change unfamiliar info to fit with our schema

  Rationalisation - avoid extra detail to give reason for something that may not have fitted the original schema
• Bartlett suggested that our memory was not just stored copies of facts but that we change our memories to fit in with what we already know. What did he call this.

  Reconstructive memory
• What is the aim of the Bartlett (1932) War of the Ghosts study to support Reconstructive Memory?

  to test the nature of reconstructive memory using an unfamilliar story ( easily remember famillar story) , would personal schemas influence what was remembered from the story?
• What is the sample of this study?

  • 20 British participants -> ethnocentric
  • 7 women , 13 men from cambridge uni -> not psychology naive
• What is the procedure of this study?

  • repeated reproduction procedure
  • ppts asked to read 'The War of the Ghosts story' twice
  • retell story to 2nd person between 15 mins later
  • no set interval beyond this and ppts recalled story at further interval from 20 hours - 10 years
• What are the results of this study?

  • ppts changed the story as the recalled it ( within 15 mins and further reproductions)
  • overal ppts preserved the order of events and main themes
  • 7/20 omitted the title , 10/20 transformed the title
  • transformation "black coming out of his mouth" ( from story) -> dying breath
• What is the conclusion of this study?

  ppts changed parts of the story to fit their own schema
• Practical application for this study

  police

  more aware when they interview and eye witness about a crime

  may not remember accurate info -> lead to police to develop cognitive interview technique
• strengths of Barlett War of the Ghosts study

  • high ecological validity - remember story more natural than list of trigrams
  • reliable - Bartlett carried out other similar studies (replicated) , found ppts changed og stories
• Weakness of Barlett War of the Ghosts study

  lacked mundane realism - story - strange " native indian story " -> ilogical , unfamiliar names to ppts

  unscientific - no strict standardised procedure - for e.g " different ppts recalled the story after different time periods" - the qualitative data may have been analysed in a subjective way
• Evaluate the Sample of Barlett War of the Ghosts study ( SERVES )

  • only 20 british ppts , ethnocentric , more men than women - androcentric - limits generalisations
  • weakness
• Evaluate ecological validity of Barlett War of the Ghosts study ( SERVES ) 


  high ecological validity - read , remember story not articifcal trigrams

  alternatively - strange story -> low ecological validity
• Evaluate reliability of Barlett War of the Ghosts study ( SERVES )

  • reliable - Bartlett carried out other similar studies (replicated) , found ppts changed og stories
  • strength
• Evaluate internal validity of Barlett War of the Ghosts study ( SERVES )

  low internal validity

  did not follow strict timings or standardised procedure
• Evaluate ethics of Barlett War of the Ghosts study ( SERVES )

  • not told aim of study , told test on accuracy of recall -> unethical conset , deception
• Evaluate subjectivity of Barlett War of the Ghosts study ( SERVES )


  • unscientific - no strict standardised procedure - for e.g " different ppts recalled the story after different time periods" - the qualitative data may have been analysed in a subjective way - "biased"