Evaluating Schema Theory

Schema theory is the influence of stored knowledge on current information processing and on behavior. Therefore everything we know will influence our decisions of what we think and do. Schema are cognitive structures that provide a framework for organizing information about the world. We use schema to organize events, people, actions etc. New encounters with the world are rarely, if ever, new. This is because we always try to compare new encounters to something similar that we have experienced before. Our memories therefore play a significant role in how we process information and how we chose to act in a specific setting.The effect on schema on memory (Bartlett 1932), was a study to see how memory is effected by previous knowledge. In the study people were given a story about a culture different than their own. Then they were asked to retell the story. What happened was that the people changed many parts of it as they tried to remember it and they followed three patterns of distortion. Assimilation is when the participants changed the story to fit better with their own culture. Leveling is when they would only remember the parts that they thought were important, and sharpening is when when they would add details and emotions. This shows that the information they got about the story was changed for all the participants, but is was changed differently depending on the person. They all did things that made more sense to them so that it would fit their schema. Some limitations about this study though was that the participants were all form the same place and culture so the results may not apply to everybody around the world and does not represent the whole population properly. Also, the study was conducted in a controlled environment so it might not be completely accurate when it comes to real life situations. But a strength with having it in a controlled environment is that it is easier to measure and record results. In 1981 Sandra Bem proposed that Gender Schema Theory suggests that childrens gender identity is developed as they learn what is associated with their gender, and what other people of their gender do. therefore children tend to engage in things that are seen to be appropriate to their gender because it fits their schema about what their gender should and can do. A limitation in this suggestion though is that we can't ask children why they act like they do so there is no way for us to be sure.