Chapter 7-Forgetting

Question 1

why might forgetting be a good thing?

Answer 1

-adaptive value; ability to forget traumatic or distressing experiences.
-it helps the brain prioritize more important info and reduce clutter (excessive irrelevant info).

Question 2

Ebbinghaus forgetting curve

Answer 2

def: a graph that illustrates how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it.
-significant variation exists
-steep curve (quickly forgotten)
-less steep curve (better retention); seen with meaningful information as opposed to nonsense or irrelevant information.

Question 3

Ebbinghaus’ research study

Answer 3

-he memorized nonsense syllables (e.g., BAF, ZOF, etc.) - that have no meaning!
-he measured how much he forgot over time by testing his recall at various intervals.
-his study showed that forgetting occurs quickly after learning, with a significant drop in retention within the first few hours, which led to the development of the Forgetting Curve.

Question 4

Retention (definiton)

Answer 4

the ability to maintain and recall information over time after it has been learned or experienced.

**measured via recall, recognition, and relearning.

Question 5

Recall

Answer 5

a recall measure of retention requires participants to reproduce information on their own without any cues.
e.g. written answer questions

Question 6

Recognition

Answer 6

a recognition measure of retention requires participants to select previously learned information from an array of options.
e.g. multiple choice questions

Question 7

Relearning (2nd memorization)

Answer 7

a relearning measure of retention requires a participant to memorize information a second time to determine how much time or how many practice trials are saved by having learned it before.
e.g. re-testing

retention interval: the time between the initial learning of information and when it is either recalled or relearned.
savings score: a measure of how much time or effort is saved when relearning material compared to the initial learning.

Question 8

Why we forget: ineffective encoding

Answer 8

def: a failure to properly process and store info in memory, leading to forgetting or inability to retrieve the info.
-why?: lack of attention at the time of learning, lack of rehearsal, or shallow processing (focusing on surface-level details and not understanding meaning).
-e.g., distracted studying

Question 9

Pseudoforgetting

Answer 9

def: the perception of forgetting info that was never actually encoded into memory in the first place.

e.g. a loonie; if you were asked if you know what a loonie looks like, you would say yes without hesitation. but if you were asked to draw a loonie right now you would probably miss certain details, and overall, draw a very inaccurate loonie. even though we see coins everyday, we don’t look at them closely enough to encode their specific details. so it’s not that you’ve forgotten what a loonie looks like, it’s that you never actually had a memory code for it.

Question 10

Why we forget: decay

Answer 10

def: the gradual fading or weakening of memory traces over time when they are not accessed or rehearsed.

-decay theory is unsuccessful in explaining decay from all memory stores. *only explains STM decay.
-decay is not the only reason we forget info. interference is more influential.

Question 11

Why we forget: interference

Answer 11

def: the process where competing information disrupts encoding, storage, or retrieval of memories.

-occurs when SIMILAR memories interfere with each other.
-two kinds of interference: proactive, and retroactive.

Question 12

Proactive interference

Answer 12

def: old information interferes with the recall of new information.
e.g. struggling to remember a new phone number because you keep recalling your old one.

Question 13

Retroactive interference

Answer 13

def: new information disrupts the retrieval of old information.
e.g. forgetting your old address after learning your new one.

Question 14

Retrieval failure (definition)

Answer 14

the inability to access stored information in memory due to the absence of adequate cues or due to interference, despite the memory being intact (i.e., in LTM).

Question 15

misconception: the principal cause of forgetting is the gradual decay of memory traces with time

Answer 15

reality: research has shown that the simple passage of time is not nearly as influential as other factors. forgetting is mainly attributable to interference, ineffective encoding, reconstructive inaccuracy, and breakdowns in the retrieval process.

Question 16

Encoding specificity principle

Answer 16

def: memory retrieval is more effective when the cues present in recall match those present during the time of encoding, as the context and associations formed during encoding serve as retrieval aids.
e.g., using a semantic cue for semantically encoded info. i.e., if you remembered a word based on its meaning, a meaning cue would be most helpful in recalling the word.

Question 17

Motivated forgetting (aka repression)

Answer 17

-trauma or distressing thoughts & feelings get buried in the unconscious.
-evidence: memory for emotionally neutral info tends to be more durable and more accurate than memory for info associated with anxiety.
-often occurs in the context of dishonesty; unethical actions lead you to forget the moral code.
e.g., cheating in a board game→forget/repress the rules.

Question 18

Repressed memories controversy

Answer 18

the debate on whether traumatic memories can be unconsciously repressed and later recovered.

-support: traumatic memories get buried but can be recovered through therapy.

-skepticism: recovered memories might be false memories created during suggestive therapy techniques and research shows that memories can be easily influenced or distorted.

*conclusions:
-a proportion of recovered memories are authentic.
-memories are more likely to be false memories when recovered in a therapeutic setting, as opposed to spontaneous recovery.

Question 19

Retrograde amnesia (defintion)

Answer 19

the inability to recall past memories, typically for events or information learned before the onset of amnesia.

Question 20

Anterograde amnesia (definition)

Answer 20

the inability to form new memories after the onset of amnesia, while previously formed memories remain intact.
e.g., H.M. (Henry Molaison)