Anderson and Pichert (1978)

Anderson and Pichert (1978)

1. Aim: to investigate if schema processing influences both encoding and retrieval.

2. The pps were given one schema at the encoding stage and one at the retrieval stage; to see if they were influenced by the last schema when they had to recall the information.

3. Method:

   • Pps were told a story of 2 boys who missed school one day and went ot one of their houses. The story the pps were told was based on 72 points.
     • These points had previously been rated by a group of people for their importance to either a potential house-buyer or a burglar.
   • Half the pps were told to read the story from the point of view of the house-buyer, and the other half as a burglar.
   • After reading the story the pps took part in a distracting activity for 12 mins before their recall was tested.
     • Then there was another 5 min delay in the experiment.
   • Half the pps then swapped schema, while the others remained on the same one
     • Then their recall was tested again.

4. Findings:

   • Pps in the changed schema group recalled 7% more points on the 2nd test compared to the 1st.
     • Recall on points that were directly linked to the new schema increased by 10%, recall on points that were important to the previous schema declined.
   • Also, the group which continued with their first schema the entier time actually remembered fewer points during the 2nd test.

5. Conclusion:

   • The results of the experiment indicate that schema processing must have some effect at retrieval as well as at encoding.
     • Because the new schema could only have influenced recall at the retrieval stage.
   • Also people encoded information that was irrelevant to their prevailing schema.
     • Since those who had the house-buyer schema at encoding were able to recall burglar information when the schema was changed and vice versa.

6. Evaluation:

   • This experiment was highly controlled and conducted in a laboratory, so there may be issues with ecological validity.
   • High variable control which allowed the researcher to establish a cause-and-effect relationship as to how schemata affect different memory processes.