Reconstructive memory and factors affecting memory · GCSE Psychology

Bartlett's theory of reconstructive memory

Bartlett (1932) argued that memory isn't an exact recording: we reconstruct memories each time we recall them.
We use schemas (mental frameworks of knowledge and expectations built from experience) to fill in gaps, so memories change to fit what we expect.

Bartlett asked British participants to read a Native American folk tale, "The War of the Ghosts", and recall it several times over a long period.
Their recall got shorter, and unfamiliar details were changed to fit their own culture (for example, "canoe" became "boat").
Parts that made no sense to them were left out or rationalised. This supports the idea of reconstructive memory.
Evaluation: the story was unusual and the procedure wasn't standardised, but the findings match everyday experience.

Interference: proactive interference is when old learning disrupts new learning (such as an old phone number getting in the way of a new one); retroactive interference is when new learning disrupts old memories.
Context: we recall better in the same context where we learned. Godden and Baddeley found divers recalled words better in the same environment (on land or underwater) where they had learned them.
False memories: people can remember events that didn't happen, or remember them wrongly, especially after misleading information.

Reconstructive memory: The idea that memories are rebuilt each time they are recalled.
Schema: A mental framework of knowledge and expectations.
Proactive interference: Old learning disrupting new learning.
Retroactive interference: New learning disrupting old memories.
Context-dependent forgetting: Forgetting because the context at recall is different from when learning.
False memory: Remembering something that didn't happen, or remembering it wrongly.