Frederic Bartlett facts for kids

Sir Frederic Charles Bartlett (born October 20, 1886 – died September 30, 1969) was an important British psychologist. He was the very first professor of experimental psychology at the University of Cambridge. He helped start the fields of cognitive psychology (how we think) and cultural psychology (how culture affects us). Bartlett was also interested in many other subjects like anthropology, philosophy, and sociology. He called himself a "Cambridge psychologist" because he explored many different areas of psychology.

About Frederic Bartlett

Frederic Bartlett was born on October 20, 1886, in Gloucestershire, England. His childhood was a bit tough because he got sick with pleurisy when he was young. This meant he had to be homeschooled for part of his education. Even though he was sick, he loved sports like golf, tennis, and cricket.

Education and Early Career

In 1909, Bartlett earned a degree in philosophy. He then continued his studies at London University, getting a master's degree in ethics and sociology. Later, at St John's College, Cambridge, he earned another degree in moral science. There, he met Charles Samuel Myers, who was in charge of the Cambridge Psychology Laboratory.

Bartlett's childhood illness kept him from fighting in World War I. So, in 1914, he became the deputy head of the Cambridge Psychology Laboratory. This happened when Myers went to war as a medical doctor.

Becoming a Professor

Bartlett's early experiments looked at how people perceive things and imagine them. This work helped him become a Fellow in 1917. After the war, Myers left Cambridge, and Bartlett became the Director of the Laboratory. He also became a Lecturer of Experimental Psychology. He later became a Senior Lecturer of Psychology and held this job until he passed away in 1969 at age 82.

Psychology and Primitive Culture (1923)

This was Bartlett's first book about psychology. It explained how human actions fit into different cultures. He used information from studies of different groups of people to write it. Bartlett had actually wanted to study anthropology, but his mentor told him to train as a psychologist first.

In this book, he looked at what happens when different groups of people meet. He also explored how cultures share and adopt ideas from each other. The book also disagreed with another idea that there was a "primitive mind" in some cultures.

Remembering (1932)

Bartlett was the head of Experimental Psychology at Cambridge when he published his most famous book, Remembering (1932). This book explored his idea of "conventionalization" in psychology. It brought together his past experiments, which tested how well people could remember figures, photos, and stories.

The book deeply analyzed Bartlett's schema theory. This theory explains how our past experiences and knowledge help us understand new information. His ideas still inspire scientists who study memory today.

The "War of the Ghosts" Experiment

The "War of the Ghosts" experiment from Remembering is Bartlett's most famous study. It showed that memory is not like a perfect recording. Instead, it is "reconstructive," meaning we rebuild memories each time we recall them. Our own experiences and knowledge can change how we remember things.

In the experiment, Bartlett asked English participants to read a Native American folk story called "War of the Ghosts." He then asked them to remember the story many times over long periods. Bartlett found that over time, people remembered less accurately. They forgot a lot of details.

Most importantly, parts of the story that didn't fit with the participants' own culture were often left out or changed. For example, some participants remembered "canoes" from the story as "boats." This showed how our own cultural background influences what and how we remember.

Psychology and War Efforts

After Remembering was published, Bartlett focused on making social psychology stronger. He wanted to combine psychology with anthropology. From 1935 to 1938, he met with other experts to work on this.

Bartlett became very interested in how psychology could be used to help with military efforts. In 1944, he helped set up the Applied Psychology Research Unit (APU) at Cambridge. He worked with other psychologists on issues for the government, like training and experimental designs. Bartlett became the Director of the Unit in 1945. He successfully led this work, which helped the military.

Thinking (1958)

In 1958, Bartlett published another book called Thinking: An Experimental and Social Study. In this book, he looked at the different ways humans think. He used methods similar to those in Remembering, like asking people to recall stories.

He also did experiments where participants were given unfinished stories and asked to complete them realistically. He found that people often completed stories even without thinking about it. This showed how our "schemas" (our organized past experiences) help us predict and create new ideas.

Honours and Awards

Bartlett received many awards and honours for his important work.

• In 1922, he became the Director of the Psychological Laboratory in Cambridge.
• In 1931, he was given a special position as a professor of experimental psychology.
• The same year he published Remembering (1932), he became a Fellow of the Royal Society.
• In 1944, he became the Director of the Unit for Research in Applied Psychology.
• For his contributions during World War II, he received the C.B.E. in 1941 and medals from The Royal Society in 1943.
• Several universities gave him honorary degrees, including the University of Athens (1937) and Princeton (1947).
• In 1948, he gave the famous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures about "The Mind at Work and Play."
• Also in 1948, he was made a knight for his work in applied psychology for the Royal Air Force.
• In 1950, Bartlett became the President of the British Psychological Society.

Even after he retired in 1951, he kept receiving honours. In 1952, he was awarded the Royal Medal. Many psychological societies around the world made him an honorary member. Today, the UK Ergonomics Society gives out a Bartlett medal in his honour. The Experimental Psychology Society also holds an annual Bartlett Lecture.

Books

• Exercises in logic (Clive, London, 1922)
• Psychology and Primitive Culture (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1923)
• Psychology And The Soldier (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1927)
• Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1932)
• The Problem of Noise (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1934)
• Political Propaganda (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1940)
• Religion as Experience, Belief and Action (Cumberledge, London, 1950)
• The Mind at Work and Play (Allen and Unwin, London, 1951)
• Thinking: An Experimental and Social Study (Allen and Unwin, 1958)

See also

In Spanish: Frederic Bartlett para niños