Anderson+and+Pichert


 * Principles of Schematic Processing **


 * Principle of selection**: schemas lead to the selection of information that is central to the active schema.


 * __Study: Anderson & Pichert (1978)__**
 * Aim**: To investigate if schema processing influences both encoding and recall stages of memory processing
 * Procedure**

Step 1: //Encoding// For example: 1) potential home buyer (Yard, new siding, new fireplace, fresh paint, etc.) 2) Burglar (Safe, coin collection, furs, silver, etc.)
 * The participants were asked to take one of two perspectives when reading a story about two boys playing in a house.
 * Key information (points in the story) had been identified and given a numerical rating based on importance to a home-buyer or a burglar

Step 2: //Perform distracting task – 12 minutes//

Step 3: //Recall I (Retrieval)// Subjects asked : Try and recall as many details of the story as possible 1) potential home buyers remembered the leaky roof, and the deck that needed repair. 2) burglars remembered the VCR and color TV.

Step 4: //5 minute delay//

Step 5://Recall II (Retrieval)//
 * Then participants were asked to change perspectives.
 * Subjects asked : Try and recall as many details of the story as possible
 * Now they were able to recall previously unrecalled information relevant to the **//new//** perspective.
 * o Increase in recall overall = 7%
 * o Recall of points linked to new schema = increase of 10%
 * o Recall of points linked to old schema = declined

New schema could only have influenced recall at the retrieval stage
 * Conclusions**


 * Schema processing must affect retrieval stage as well as encoding stage
 * People encode information irrelevant to original schema (we do not just encode information that appears relevant, we must be encoding other information as well but are unaware of it)

Participants gain new info – story about a house
 * Making connections from the study**
 * Encoded it – transformed it into meaningful memory
 * What helped them make it meaningful? Used schemata
 * They fitted it into what they already knew

Schema – burglar – remembered burglar information Schema – house owner – remembered house owner information
 * How do we know that participants were doing this? (following the model identified by schema theory)? **
 * Recall stage**

When we acquire new information, we try to fit it into what we already know - similar situations, similar patterns of behavior etc. If it doesn't fit, then our knowledge has to be adjusted, discarded, adapted etc.


 * __Overall significance__: This is part of a body of evidence that indicates that schema processing can affect memory at all levels.**