Brewer and Treyens

• background

  basic assumption of schema theory is that individuals' prior experiences will influence how they remember information
• aim

  to investigate the role of schema in encoding and the retrieval of episodic memory.
• sample

  86 university psych students
• procedure

  -prtcpnts were told to sit and wait in the professor's office (all chairs had items on them except one to guarantee all prtcpnts had the same vantage point of the objects) whilst the researcher "checked to make sure the previous prtcpnts had completed the experiment."

  -the prtcpnts did not realize that the study had already begun.

  -the office contained objects that conformed with an office schema like a desk, calendar and coffee pot and some items that were not usually found in an office like a skull and toy top. finally there were objects that were omitted like books.

  -the researcher left the room and had said he would return shortly.

  -after 35 seconds prtcpnts were called into a room and asked to write down what they remembered from the office.
• results

  most partcpnts recalled the schematic objects (desks,typewriter)

  most prtcpnts recalled things that should be there but acc weren't (books, telephone)

  very incongruent items like the skull was remembered which researchers believe resulted in better recall than predicted by schema theory.
• conclusion

  schema played a role in botht eh encoding and recall of the objects

  -understand that schemas exist because of the prtcpnts that recalled things int he office that were not acc there.
• Evaluation


  Weaknesses:

  -low generalizability as research is based on western culture so may yield different results if tested on collectivitic cultures.

  -low construct validity: schemas cannot be observed or measured accurately so researchers dont know how or when they are formed.

  -->further supported by Cohen (1993) who argued that the concept of schema is too vague and hypothetical to be useful. Schema cannot be observed. Cohen discussed

  that despite using fMRIs to observe participants' brain

  activity it only shows where memories are being created but no information on how therefore, the construct of schemas are theoretical.

  Strengths:

  -there is no way to verify the schema of prtcnts, but researchers did a pilot study by using a questionnaire with students to determine schema consistent objects