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Organization Of Memory

A considerable amount of research has been
carried out on the nature and structure of
memory, its functions and processes but
recently, psychologists such as Schank
(1975) have started to conduct empirical
studies on the organisation of memory. This
essay will examine one of the more recent
developments in the organisation of memory,
the schema theory.

According to Gross (1999) the organisation of
memory involves two main concepts. These
are the format in which information is
arranged and how this information is
arranged. The earlier theories, such as the
matrix and hierarchical network models by
Collins and Quillians (1969, 1972) concerning
the organisation of memory adopted a logical,
sequential approach to the organisation of
memory. Later on, in the late 1970’s
psychologists such as, Schank, Abelson and
Rumelhart realised that the organisation of
memory is not as logical as the earlier
models proposed. The schema theories
make an attempt at addressing the more
complex aspects of the organisation of
memory.

Semantic memory plays a fundamental role in
the earlier theories but according to Baddley
(1990) it became increasingly obvious during
the 1970’s that the SM must contain structures
considerably larger than the simple concepts
discussed in the network models by Collins
and Loftus. Bartlett (1932) used the term
‘schema’ to refer to this larger unit of semantic
memory. According to Hayes (1999) a
schema is a ‘….form of representation which
we use to guide our actions’ Bartlett (1932)
described a schema as ‘ an active
organisation of past reactions, or of past
experiences which must always be supposed
to be operating in any well-adapted
organismic...

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