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During a psychology lesson, Saima was asked to recall the contents of her history classroom - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 4 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 4
During a psychology lesson, Saima was asked to recall the contents of her history classroom. Some of the items she recalled included; 15 tables, a clock, paper, and ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:During a psychology lesson, Saima was asked to recall the contents of her history classroom - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 4 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
Using reconstructive memory, describe why Saima incorrectly recalled some items from her history classroom.
Answer
Reconstructive memory suggests that our memories are not exact replicas of past experiences but instead are built from existing knowledge and schemas. In Saima's case, she likely has a schema for a typical classroom that includes items she has frequently seen, such as a clock. Thus, when asked to recall her history classroom, her mind may have filled in gaps with these familiar items, leading her to falsely remember a clock present in the room. Her expectations based on her schema influenced her recall, causing her to incorrectly state she saw a clock.
Step 2
Explain one strength and one weakness of reconstructive memory as an explanation of Saima's recall.
Answer
One strength of reconstructive memory is that it allows individuals to make sense of fragmented information by using prior knowledge to fill in gaps. For instance, studies like Brewer and Treyens (1981) showed that people often recall items based on their expectations of a given context; therefore, Saima's recollection of the calendar was likely influenced by her understanding of a typical classroom.
On the other hand, a notable weakness is that this mechanism can lead to inaccuracies in memory recall. Saima's errors in remembering a clock and a calendar may stem from not fully rehearsing or encoding the specific items in her history classroom. This aligns with findings from research that highlights how reconstructive memory can result in errors due to reliance on prior expectations rather than the actual details of the scenario.