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Clock * this!: An everyday example of a schema‐driven error in memory
Author(s) -
French Christopher C.,
Richards Anne
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1993.tb02477.x
Subject(s) - psychology , schema (genetic algorithms) , numeral system , arithmetic , cognitive psychology , computer science , mathematics , information retrieval
An everyday example of a distortion of memory is reported. Subjects were presented with a standard clock with numbers represented by Roman numerals. Of the subjects asked to draw the clock from memory, the majority mistakenly represented the four as ‘IV’ rather than as ‘IIII’ The latter represents the standard form of Roman numeral representation upon clocks, but not elsewhere. It made no difference to performance whether or not subjects were warned in advance that they would have to draw the clock from memory. Subjects asked simply to copy the clock in full view did not make the error. The findings are interpreted in terms of schema theory.