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SAQ marking: Schema theory

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  • SAQ marking: Schema theory

Below you will find four sample SAQs for the question: Explain one study of schema theory.

For each of the samples, refer to the rubric to award marks 1 - 9. After each sample, there is a predicted grade as well as feedback on the strengths and limitations of the sample.

Please note, several of these samples are written by non-native speakers of English.  The language has intentionally not been changed.

SAQ rubric

SAQ Sample 1

Schema theory is the theory of how we process information, relate it to our existing knowledge and use it. The theory is used to describe how our cultural and personal contexts have an effect on our processing of information, namely in the case of memory acquisition.  The theory argues that schemas are a framework we use to interpret the world and in turn use to understand new information.  They affect all of the stages of memory: encoding, storage and retrieval.

One study exploring schema theory was carried out by Bartlett (1932) with the aim to see how the introduction of an unfamiliar concept is affected by our schemas, by looking at our ability to memorize events.  This was done by taking British participants and reading to them a native American fictional story, which was an unfamiliar cultural context for the participants.

The story was read once to them and later the participants were placed into two groups.  One group was made to recall the story through repeated reproduction, meaning by self-recalling the story over the course of several weeks, months and years, and the other group was made to recall through serial reproduction meaning they described the story to another person. This was done in order to observe the possible effect of the type of rehearsal on retrieval.  This independent samples study suggested that due to the fact that the story “War on Ghosts” did not fit their cultural schema, the story changed in its retelling.  The results were that unfamiliar terms such as “canoes” or “seal hunting” turned into “boats” and “fishing”, which can be attributed to the participants’ cultural schema. Secondly, the story got shorter as participants eliminated seemingly unnecessary details.  Finally, there was also some additional details found in the reproduced stories, which can be attributed to sharpening, where the participants personalized the story.  Overall, the reproduction type seemed not to have an effect on the accuracy of the recall of the story, as well as showing how individual schemas changed the original story in order to make the memory more accessible.

344 words

There is an attempt at outlining schema theory, but it not really clear. The aim of the Bartlett study is not clearly stated. The use of terminology in the response is a bit confusing.  The concept of serial reproduction is not clearly defined and the link to the use of an independent samples design is not clear. The results with regard to the type of reproduction are not correctly stated. The link to schema theory could be more clearly stated. That being said, the response does show some basic understanding of both the theory and the study. 4 marks.

SAQ Sample 2

The Bartlett study on cultural background and familiarity of a story on the effect of the memory of a story attempts to test for the effect of cultural background (and therefore schema processing) on the memory of the story.

Bartlett used a sample of British participants and told them a native  American story “War of the Ghosts.” The participants then asked to either go through 0 to 7  times of serial reproduction and the last participant was asked to recall the story.  Or repeated reproduction when the participant was asked to repeat the story to himself 0 – 7 times and asked to recall the story at the end.

The results showed that there was no major difference in recollection. Participants always tended to shorten the story, omitting details that they thought were unimportant. In addition, details of the story were changed to match the British cultural background.

This experiment most resembles a quasi-experiment as the participants were picked due to cultural background.  However, the experiment did not operationalize the IV and DV clearly or quantitatively, meaning that it could find correlation and qualitative evidence supporting schema theory, but cannot establish a cause and effect relationship between two variables. The study used an independent sample procedure with no control group.  So although the results support the schema theory that past experiences can affect perception and memory, the study has limitations. Not only did Bartlett not standardize the procedure such as the interval between each recollection, attempts to replicate the study have not been successful, indicating that it has low reliability.  In addition, no IV was established.  However, the results do provide insight on schema theory and how it can affect memories.

278 words

Overall, the SAQ is poorly written. The first paragraph is not clear and although it identifies the study, there is no clear understanding of schema theory demonstrated.  In paragraph 3 there is a brief allusion to schema theory, but there is no clear outline of the theory.  This means that the link to the study is also absent. The procedure and the results are briefly stated, but also with errors. The evaluation of the study is not only irrelevant to the question, there are errors. There have been successful replications of the study.  3 marks.

SAQ Sample 3

Schema theory is based on the idea that we are active processors of information and that our behaviour and cognitive processes can be influenced by our schema. A schema is a mental representation of the world.  Schema is a way that our mind organizes information.  They are expectations based on our past experiences.  Since we are cognitive misers, we use schema to simplify the world and predict things with this mental framework based on what we have seen in the past. Schema are formed through a process known as assimilation where when we encounter something incongruent with our current schema we can add this to our schema so that we will be prepared in the future with this situation.  However, since we are information processor, we often only notice that that are congruent with our schema, so we often see and remember what we expect to see.  Schemas can affect behaviour in a variety of ways – one of which is the distortion of memories.

Brewer and Treyens did a study on the impact of schemas on memory.  For this experiment, they had 86 university psychology students as participants.  They asked each participant individually to wait in an office for a short time while the researcher went to finish the experiment with another participant. Then, after 35 seconds the research came to get the participant and brought her into another room where they were asked to recall objects in the office.  The objects in the office were either congruent or incongruent with an office schema – that is, a mental representation of an office. For example, the office had pencils and a stapler, but there were also objects like a brick and a screwdriver.

The students were asked to remember these objects under three different conditions: a recall condition, a drawing condition and a recognition condition.  The researchers found with the recall and drawing conditions that the participants remembered objects congruent with their schema of an office but did not recall objects that were incongruent; however in the recognition condition where they were asked to choose objects from a list, participants were able to also recognize objects that were incongruent with their schema as they were prompted by the researcher.

This study supports schema theory as unless prompted by the researcher, participants were unable to remember objects incongruent with their schema.  As the participants did not create a “photographic memory” of the office, they used their past experience to predict what would be in the office when asked to recall the objects. This shows that we are active processors of information and that we reconstruct our memories based on our schema.   

439 words

The schema theory is fairly well explained.  The concept of assimilation is not well explained, but there is a basic understanding demonstrated. The study is well described.  Even though not all of the results are outlined, one key result is explained.  This is enough. It is not required that students know every detail of a study; for example, it is also not important that there were 86 participants.  The response ends with a clear link back to the question.  8 marks.

SAQ Sample 4

Schema theory is a theory of how people process information based on their prior experience. They relate the current information they receive to prior experiences and behave based on what they predict will be true in this new situation. This schema as well helps people to predict consequences of their behaviour.  Bartlett was one of the first psychologists who brought up the theory and made a study of it.

In 1932 Bartlett carried out an experiment on British participants.  The aim of this study was to look at the effect of cultural schema on recalling a foreign story.  The story Bartlett told them was an unknown Native American story called “the War of Ghosts.”  After Bartlett told the story to the participants, he asked them either to do a serial reproduction of the story or a repeated reproduction of the story over a month.  Serial reproduction is to retell the story to another person and this was told to seven people.  Repeated reproduction is to repeat the story to the researcher and this was done in seven trials in one month.  The result of this experiment was that the word count of the stories was reduced to 180 words. But the way that the participants retold the story was the same. There were patterns in the way that the participants retold the story.  When the participants retold the story, they changed information to make it more familiar.  They also excluded information that was not important to the story.  And lastly, they added details or changed the way the story was told in order to help to make sense for them.

There are several limitations in the study.  First, there was no standardized procedure which means it is difficult to replicate. The other limitation is that this experiment was in a lab.  Therefore, it has low ecological validity. However, the results supported schema theory that people process information based on their prior experience.

322 words

There is a basic outline of schema theory that demonstrates satisfactory understanding.  It would be better if there was a clear link to reconstructive memory as that would clearly link the theory to the study. The study is well described and the findings are clearly stated. The response does not, however, explain how these findings are linked to the theory.  The final paragraph is irrelevant and does not add anything to the response.  5 marks.