Lesson 2.1.4

2.1.4 Reconstructive memory and schema theory Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 2

20 questions

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Lesson 2.1.4, Reconstructive memory and schema theory: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Psychology (9PS0), Unit 2: Cognitive psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Who conducted the 'War of the Ghosts' study of reconstructive memory?

    • Baddeley, in 1966
    • Bartlett, in 1932
    • Milgram, in 1963
    • Loftus, in 1974

  2. What is reconstructive memory?

    • The process in which memories are rebuilt at recall, using schemas and existing knowledge, rather than replayed exactly
    • The process in which memories are stored exactly as they occurred, with no change over any period of time at all
    • The process in which memories are stored only in the sensory register, which discards them after a short time
    • The process in which memories are deleted at recall, so that each memory can only be recalled once in a lifetime

  3. What is a schema, in Bartlett's account of memory?

    • A type of neurotransmitter that transmits signals across the synapse between neurons in the brain
    • A fixed sequence of words that a participant recites exactly when asked to recall a story from memory
    • An organised framework of knowledge and expectations that guides how information is stored and recalled
    • A type of visual image that is stored in the visuospatial sketchpad during the recall of a scene

  4. Which distortion did Bartlett describe in the recall of the War of the Ghosts story?

    • Immediate expansion, in which participants added more detail than the original story had at the first recall
    • Rationalisation, in which unfamiliar elements were changed to fit the participants' own cultural expectations
    • Random deletion, in which the story was forgotten in its entirety by every participant within a single day
    • Exact repetition, in which every word of the story was reproduced precisely by each participant at recall

  5. What does Bartlett's study suggest about the accuracy of long-term memory?

    • Memory is often inaccurate, because recall is influenced by schemas and existing expectations
    • Memory is always fully accurate, because long-term memory is a perfect record of every experience ever had
    • Memory is always inaccurate in the same way for everyone, because all schemas are identical across people
    • Memory is accurate only for visual material, because verbal material is always reconstructed in full detail

  6. Which evidence from Bartlett's study supports schema theory?

    • Participants remembered the story perfectly, showing that schemas are only relevant to visual memory tasks
    • Participants recalled the story word for word, showing that schemas play no role in memory at any stage
    • Participants forgot the story within seconds, showing that schemas are only stored in the sensory register
    • Participants changed unfamiliar details in the story to fit their own cultural expectations at recall

  7. A witness recalls seeing a red car at a crime scene, but the car was actually blue. Which process best explains this error?

    • Reconstruction, in which the witness rebuilt the memory using expectations and the schema of a typical car
    • Sensory decay, in which the witness's sensory memory for the colour decayed before the recall was made
    • Articulatory suppression, in which the witness's rehearsal of the colour was blocked by a secondary task
    • Acoustic confusion, in which the witness confused the sound of the word blue with the word red at recall

  8. Which evaluation point is most relevant to Bartlett's study?

    • Bartlett's use of a folk story was perfectly controlled, so the findings can be replicated exactly in every lab
    • Bartlett's use of a folk story was based only on animal research, so it cannot be applied to human memory
    • Bartlett's use of a folk story involved only laboratory tests with word lists, which have no link to real stories
    • Bartlett's use of a folk story may lack the controlled conditions of a laboratory experiment, limiting reliability

  9. Which of these is a strength of schema theory as an explanation of memory?

    • It explains why memories are changed in ways that fit existing knowledge, supported by Bartlett's findings
    • It explains why memories are always stored perfectly, with no distortion from the knowledge a person already holds
    • It explains why memories are stored only in the phonological loop, so visual memory is not affected at all
    • It explains why memories are never affected by culture, since all schemas are the same across all societies

  10. What is a limitation of explaining memory errors by schemas alone?

    • It applies only to memories of numbers, which have no link to the schemas that people hold in their minds
    • It may not explain individual differences fully, since people vary in their schemas and in how they reconstruct
    • It has been disproved by every experiment ever conducted, so it is no longer considered in the field today
    • It explains all memory errors perfectly, with no individual variation or any other factor affecting the errors

  11. A person's recall of a restaurant visit includes a waiter who was not actually present. Which concept best explains this?

    • Sensory memory, in which the person's sensory store retained a clear image of the waiter for a long time
    • Reconstructive memory, in which schema-based expectations add details that did not occur
    • Articulatory suppression, in which the person's rehearsal of the visit was blocked by a secondary task
    • Working memory capacity, in which the person held too many items in the central executive at once

  12. Which idea of Bartlett's is closest to the idea that memory is shaped by expectations?

    • Schemas guide recall, so people fill in gaps with what they expect to have happened
    • Memory is determined only by the number of items presented, with no role for the meaning of the material
    • Memory is a perfect copy of the original event, which is stored without change in long-term memory
    • Memory is determined only by the length of the event, with no role for expectations or prior knowledge

  13. What does the term 'rationalisation' mean in Bartlett's account of recall?

    • Changing unfamiliar parts of a story into more familiar, logical forms that fit the person's own schema
    • Recalling the story in its exact original order, with every detail kept in the original sequence of events
    • Forgetting the story completely after a single hearing, with no remaining trace of any detail at all
    • Adding detailed visual images to the story, which are stored in the visuospatial sketchpad at recall

  14. Which research method did Bartlett use to study reconstructive memory?

    • A survey of memory habits across a large sample of adults, asking how often they forget their keys
    • Repeated recall of a story over time, with analysis of how the recalled version changed
    • A single-trial lab test of digit span, measuring how many digits a participant can repeat back immediately
    • A brain scan of participants while they recalled a word list, to identify the active brain regions

  15. Which statement about reconstructive memory and accuracy is most accurate?

    • Memory is always inaccurate for every detail, so no memory can be trusted in any situation at all
    • Memory can be accurate for some details and inaccurate for others, depending on schemas and the context of recall
    • Memory is accurate only for emotional events, while all neutral events are always reconstructed in full error
    • Memory is always accurate for every detail, so schemas and expectations never influence recall in any way

  16. What is meant by 'sharpening' in Bartlett's account of recall?

    • Details that are kept in recall become more distinct and emphasised, while others fade or are dropped
    • The story is recalled in exactly the same order and words each time it is retold by the participant
    • The story is forgotten entirely after the first recall, with no details remaining at all for the participant
    • Details that are kept in recall become less distinct and more blurred over the repeated attempts at recall

  17. Which of these is an example of a schema in everyday life?

    • A visual image of a single letter that is held briefly in the sensory register before being forgotten
    • A physical movement of the tongue used in the articulatory rehearsal of a list of words in a test
    • A single word that a person remembers from a list read out loud by an experimenter in a laboratory test
    • Expecting a restaurant to have a menu, waiters and a bill, which guides what a person remembers of a visit

  18. Which research design did Bartlett's War of the Ghosts study most closely resemble?

    • A cross-sectional survey, in which different age groups are compared at a single point in time for the study
    • A matched pairs experiment, in which pairs of participants are matched on the same ages and given different tasks
    • A correlational survey, in which the relationship between two measured variables is assessed across participants
    • A repeated recall study, in which the same material is recalled over time by each participant

  19. Why is it a problem for reliability if a witness's memory changes each time it is recalled?

    • Because the same witness may give different accounts, so the account cannot be relied on as consistent evidence
    • Because changing memories are always more accurate than the original, so the account becomes more reliable
    • Because the witness always gives the same account, which means the memory is not reconstructive at all
    • Because changing memories are unaffected by the witness's expectations, so they cannot be explained by schemas

  20. Which of these best captures the central idea of reconstructive memory?

    • Memory is a perfect copy of an event, stored in a fixed form in the brain and retrieved without any change
    • Memory is rebuilt at recall from stored fragments and existing knowledge, so it can change over time
    • Memory is a list of words that is stored in the phonological loop and then lost after about 30 seconds
    • Memory is determined only by the number of items presented in a list, with no role for existing knowledge

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