Displacement as a Theory of Forgetting Flashcards
The theory that displacement causes forgetting can be understood by…
… referring to the multi-store model of memory.
There is a short-term store where info is…
… held for a short time (up to 30s).
What is the theory of displacement as a reason for forgetting?
That the rehearsal loop in the short-term memory has a limited capacity.
Where does the idea of primacy and recency effects come from?
The multi-store model of memory.
What is the primacy effect?
Information learned first is well-remembered, probably because it has gone to the long-term store through the rehearsal loop.
What is the recency effect?
Information learned last is well-remembered, probably because it is still in the rehearsal loop & so available for immediate recall.
Why is information from the middle not well-recalled?
Because it didn’t go from the rehearsal loop into the long-term store, and was thus displaced by new material in the loop and so it was lost.
How did Waugh & Norman test the idea of displacement as a theory of forgetting?
- read a list of letters to participants
- told a letter & had to recall the subsequent letter
What did Waugh & Norman find?
That displacement occurred.
What did Glanzer et al. (1967) think about displacement?
That it was a factor in forgetting, in addition to decay.
Why did Glanzer et al. think that decay also caused forgetting?
Because of time delay; the longer the time before recall, the greater the forgetting.
[Glanzer et al.]
Why couldn’t displacement be the only cause of forgetting?
Because displacement would cause the same degree as forgetting, not depending on the time between learning and recalling.
Which models does displacement theory fit with & support?
- multi-store model of memory
- working memory model
How does displacement theory fit with the 2 models?
Because both models suggest a loop where information is rehearsed before going to the long-term memory store.
Displacement theory is difficult to operationalise. What does this mean?
It is difficult to turn abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations.
