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How social or cultural factors affect one cognitive process (8/22)…
How social or cultural factors affect one cognitive process (8/22)
INTRODUCTION
information that people are exposed to is affected by their culture/society
3 types of schemas:
schemas = cognitive structures that organise knowledge stored in our memory
script = info about sequence of events
effect of social/cultural factors on cognitive process of memory (in terms of schemas)
self = info about ourselves
social = info about others (stereotypes)
our memory of an event based is often influenced by prior knowledge (stored as schemas)
BARTLETT (1932)
recalled the story from memory using serial + repeated reproduction
intervals between each recall
pp's read native American folk tale
Results:
both methods lead to similar results
Method:
all pp's were English
as number of reproductions increased, the story = became shorter + less obscure
Aim:
investigated role of culture on memory
eg. canoe > boat + hunting seals > fishing
pp's alternated culturally unfamiliar things to what was culturally familiar
made the story more understandable according to their schemas (formed by cultural surroundings)
demonstrates how culture influenced their memory
memory = inaccurate - subject to reconstruction based on pre-existing schemas (founded by culture)
**only explored english cult (can't be generalised beyond english. + didn't control environment / ask for accuracy in recall
BREWER + TREYENS (1981)
asked to write down as much as they could remember from the office
Results:
pp's recalled things from a typical office according to their schema
Method:
pp's taken into ann office for 35 seconds
didn't recall the wine + picnic basket
Aim:
see whether stereotypical schema of an office would affect pp's memory
wasn't part of their 'typical office' schema
further support for cultural factors affecting cognitive process of memory (due to schemas)
pp's schema influenced their memory of the office
shows how social + cultural factors can influence schemas + therefore affect cognitive process of memory
** lab exp. = lacks ecological validity + doesn't task reflect every day activity. but strict control over variables (determined cause-effect relationship)
CONCLUSION
studies reflect how cultural context affects cognitive process
Bartlett particularly demonstrated memory = reconstructive process
demonstrate that cultural factors stored in our schemas affect memory
thus, the schemas we develop from our cultural backgrounds influence our cognitive process of memory
result of schemas
implication = although ability to remember is universal, the way in which we remember things are not - they're influenced by social / cultural factors