Schema Theory

Think of your brain as a giant file cabinet - but how can we possibly store and retrieve all the information that bombards us each day?  Frederic Bartlett, a British psychologist from Cambridge University, performed several studies in the 1930's which helped pinpoint a theory of how we use past information to assist us in processing new information.  His concept, called schema theory, has helped identify cognitive strategies that make our brain more powerful than the greatest super-computer.

The War of the Ghosts was perhaps his most famous study - a fable which proved very difficult for his subjects to recall.  Why were subjects' memories so poor in remembering this short tale?  Bartlett theorized that cultural elements interfere with most people's ability to recall specific information.  Therefore, we place details into certain categories which allow us to make greater sense of the countless stimuli.

http://ibpsychologynotes.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/03-evaluate-schema-theory-with-reference-to-research-studies.pdf