Active Process

• Reconstructive memory

  Memory is not just stored facts but we alter memory to fit in to what we already know /to make sense of it even though we think we are remembering exactly whats happening
• Bartlett's theory of reconstructive memory

  • If you are trying to recall information and cannot remember small details, your mind shall try to fill in the gaps with details that make sense and fit in with the rest of the information
• Bartlett's 'war of the ghosts' experiment

  Used serial reproduction which mimics how stories are passed down from person to person and how rumors and stories are spread
• The 'war of the ghosts'

  A confusing story which has features that would be unfamiliar to a person today
• Bartlett's theory of reconstructive memory

  • Memory is not an accurate depiction of what happened but instead memory is an active process involving effort after meaning
  • We try to make sense of something unfamiliar that has happened by fitting it in with what we already know and understand about the world, resulting in us changing our memories to become more sensible to us
  • The process involves making guesses or assumptions about what would/could have happened
  • We may mistakenly remember things that aren't really there because they make sense within the situation
• Evaluation of the theory of reconstructive memory

  -important as it shows the influence of prior knowledge and background on memory

  • we can use this info in everyday life eg to be cautious when given or listening to eyewitness accounts

  -also helps us understand why two people may have different memories of the same event

  -still popular today
• Interference

  Things that take place between learning and recall can affect the accuracy of memory
• Interference - ways it can happen

  1. Things we already know cause problems when trying to recall new info

  2. New info causes problems when we try to recall information we learnt before
• Context


  Recall of info is higher if learning and recall take place in the same context
• Study on context

  • Deep sea divers were asked to learn a list of words, some recalled in the same context whilst others recalled in a different context. The recall of words was higher when both learning and recall took place in the same context
• False memories

  Remembering an event that has not occurred
• Study on false memories

  • Participants were questioned about their childhood. Using info from parents to describe true events and a false event about being lost in a shopping centre. 25% of participants believed that they had been lost and could give detail about what happened
• Standardised procedure


  A set order of carrying out a study that is applied to all participants when necessary