2. MEMORY (Explanations of forgetting: 1. Proactive and retroactive interference 2. Retrieval failure due to absence of cues) Flashcards
What is interference theory of forgetting?
Interference theory suggests that forgetting occurs because one memory blocks or interferes with the recall of another. This can happen when the memories are similar, and there are two types of interference: proactive and retroactive.
What is proactive interference?
Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the recall of newer memories. For example, difficulty remembering the names of new students because of the many names you learned in the past.
What is retroactive interference?
Retroactive interference occurs when newer memories interfere with the recall of older memories. For example, difficulty remembering the names of students from last year because of the many new names learned this year.
What did Keppel and Underwood (1962) investigate?
Keppel and Underwood (1962) investigated the effects of proactive interference on long-term memory by asking participants to recall meaningless consonant trigrams. They found that earlier learned trigrams interfered with the recall of later ones.
What did Postman (1960) investigate?
Postman (1960) investigated retroactive interference by asking participants to learn two lists of word pairs. The group who learned the second list had poorer recall of the first list, demonstrating retroactive interference.
What is a limitation of interference theory?
A limitation of interference theory is that it only explains forgetting when two sets of information are similar, such as learning two languages. This limits its applicability to real-world situations where forgetting occurs for unrelated information.
What is retrieval failure due to absence of cues?
Retrieval failure occurs when we cannot access stored information because the necessary cues are absent. The memory is still there, but it’s not accessible without the right cues.
What is a cue in memory
A cue is a trigger that helps us recall information. It can be an environmental or internal cue, such as the context in which the information was learned or the emotional state at the time.
What is context-dependent forgetting?
Context-dependent forgetting happens when the environment at the time of recall is different from the environment at the time of learning. This difference can reduce recall, such as trying to remember something learned underwater while on land
What is state-dependent forgetting?
State-dependent forgetting occurs when the psychological or physiological state at the time of recall differs from the state during learning. For example, if you were happy when learning something but sad when recalling it, you may forget the information.
What did Godden and Baddeley (1975) investigate?
Godden and Baddeley (1975) investigated context-dependent forgetting by having divers learn a list of words either on land or underwater and then recall them in the same or different context. They found that recall was 40% lower in non-matching contexts.
What did Darley et al. (1973) investigate?
Darley et al. (1973) investigated state-dependent forgetting by asking participants to hide money while under the influence of cannabis and then find it again. Participants who were still high were better at recalling the location of the money than those who were sober.
What is the practical application of retrieval failure theory?
The retrieval failure theory has real-life applications, such as in cognitive interviews for eyewitnesses. Baddeley suggests that trying to recall the environment in which something was learned can help improve memory recall, which can be useful in exams and everyday life.
What is the main conclusion of Godden and Baddeley’s (1975) study?
Godden and Baddeley concluded that when the environmental context at the time of recall differs from when the information was learned, retrieval failure occurs, leading to forgetting.
What is a strength of interference theory in supporting forgetting?
A strength is that interference theory is supported by laboratory studies, like Keppel and Underwood (1962) and Postman (1960), which show that one memory can block another, demonstrating how forgetting happens due to interference.
