Explanations for Forgetting

Question 1

What is forgetting?

Answer 1

An inability to recall information.

Question 2

What is the interference theory of forgetting?

Answer 2

When long-term memory becomes confused with or disputed by other information during coding causing inaccurate recall.

Question 3

What does interference theory suggests about why we forget?

Answer 3

We forget because the two types of information are similar to each other.

Question 4

What are the 2 types of interferences in the interference theory?

Answer 4

Proactive and Retroactive information.

Question 5

What is proactive interference?

Answer 5

You cannot learn a new task or piece of info because of an old one. What we already know is interfering with what we are currently learning.

Question 6

What is an example of proactive interference?

Answer 6

We forget our new boyfriend’s name because the name of our old boyfriend interferes with it.

Question 7

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 7

You forget a previously learnt task or piece of info, due to the learning of a new one. Later learning interferes with earlier learnt memories.

Question 8

What is an example of retroactive interference?

Answer 8

We can’t remember our old address because we have moved to a new house.

Question 9

What research supports the interference theory?

Answer 9

Schmidtt et al (2002)

Question 10

What was the aim of Schmidtt et al. (2002)?

Answer 10

To find out whether interference could be shown in real world scenario.

Question 11

What was the sample used in Schmidtt et al. (2002)?

Answer 11

700 participants randomly selected from a Dutch elementary school.

Question 12

What was the method of Schmidtt et al. (2002)?

Answer 12

All sent a questionnaire.
211 responded 11-79yrs to identify as many street names on the map area they went to school.
Retroactive interference assessed on no. of times they moved.

Question 13

What were the findings of Schmidtt et al. (2002)?

Answer 13

Positive association between number of times they had moved house and number of street names forgotten.

Question 14

What was the conclusion of Schmidtt et al. (2002)?

Answer 14

Learning new patterns of street names when moving house is harder to recall old ones. Retroactive interference does seem to explain forgetting in some real life situations.

Question 15

There is evidence from lab experiments to support the interference theory. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 15

Postman found that participants were more accurate at recalling a list of words if they didn’t have to also learn a second word list.

Question 16

There is evidence from lab experiments to support the interference theory. How can this be evaluated?

Answer 16

Suggests that interference theory holds validity.
However, studies like this have received criticism for, being artificial and therefore not representing real life memory.

Question 17

Baddeley (1990) has criticised the studies used to support the interference theory for being artificial. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 17

He suggested that the subjects are often the tasks to close to each other which doesn’t tend to happen in real life.

Question 18

Baddeley (1990) has criticised the studies used to support the interference theory for being artificial. How can this be evaluated?

Answer 18

Reduces external validity as suggests it cannot be applied to real life explanations of forgetting.
However, research conducted by Schmidt has minimized extraneous variables suggesting interference does occur like this in real life.

Question 19

Another problem with the interference theory is it is not a full explanation for forgetting. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 19

The theory only accounts for forgetting when information is similar, suggesting it cannot be the only reason.

Question 20

Another problem with the interference theory is it is not a full explanation for forgetting. How can this be evaluated?

Answer 20

We should be careful when applying the theory of forgetting as it may be more complicated than the theory suggests.

Question 21

What is the cue dependent forgetting theory?

Answer 21

States that forgetting occurs when there is not enough information or ‘cues’

Question 22

What are the 2 types of cue dependent forgetting?

Answer 22

Context-Dependent failure
State-dependent failure

Question 23

What is context-dependent failure?

Answer 23

Forgetting occurring when the external environment is different to the one you learnt it in. It is about external retrevial cues.

Question 24

What is an example of context-dependent failure?

Answer 24

Getting fewer marks in a test that you took in a different room to the one you learnt the info in.

Question 25

What is state-dependent failure?

Answer 25

Forgetting occurring when the internal cues are dissimilar at recall compared to encoding. It is about internal retreival cues and can include emotions.

Question 26

What is an example of state-dependent failure?

Answer 26

Trying to recall a stressful event when you are happy is difficult.

Question 27

What study supports context-dependent failure?

Answer 27

Godden and Baddeley

Question 28

What was the sample of Godden and Baddeley study?

Answer 28

Asked 18 deep sea divers to memorize a list of 36 unrelated words of 2/3 syllables.

Question 29

What was the method used by Godden and Baddeley?

Answer 29

One group on the beach and one group under water.
When asked to remember 1/2 of the beach learners remained there the rest recalled underwater.

Question 30

What were the findings of Godden and Baddeley?

Answer 30

Participants were more likely to forgot the words of they learnt it in a different place to where they recalled it.

Question 31

What study supports state-dependent failure?

Answer 31

Overton

Question 32

What was the sample used by Overton?

Answer 32

Asked 48 medical students to remember a list of words when drunk or sober.

Question 33

What was the methods used by Overton?

Answer 33

Participants had to recall the list 24 hours later, wither in the same state or another.

Question 34

What were the findings of Overton?

Answer 34

Participants more likely to forget when they were in a different state to what they learnt the words.

Question 35

What is the encoding specificity principle?

Answer 35

Recall depends upon accessing information by remembering the retrieval cue under which the information is stored.

Question 36

What is the effectiveness of a retrieval cue dependent on?

Answer 36

How overloaded it is.

Question 37

The more deeply processed and relevant the cue is to the information the..?

Answer 37

More likely you are to remember it.

Question 38

One weakness of context-dependent failure is that Baddeley admitted that context effects are not actually very strong in real life. What evidence is there to support this claim?

Answer 38

The difference between a classroom and an exam hall is very minor as they both have desks, chairs etc. Therefore, these are similar cues.

Question 39

One weakness of context-dependent failure is that Baddeley admitted that context effects are not actually very strong in real life. How can this be evaluated?

Answer 39

Suggests that context-dependent forgetting might not be relevant to everyday life as first thought. Reducing external validity.

Question 40

There are practical applications for the theory. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 40

Theory suggests that having the right cues helps recall info, so association of key pieces of revision to external cues will aid recall. Used to support police interviews recall of eye witness.

Question 41

There are practical applications for the theory. How can this be evaluated?

Answer 41

Useful as suggests that cue-dependent forgetting has a basis in the real world and worth understanding and researching. Benefits society and justifying funding for further research.

Question 42

Much of the research conducted into cue-dependent forgetting relies on lab experiments. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 42

Godden and Baddeley where the stimuli are word lists with no meaning. We are likely to encode it differently to real life.

Question 43

Much of the research conducted into cue-dependent forgetting relies on lab experiments. How can this be evaluated?

Answer 43

Cannot use these studies as justification for forgetting in the real world as the studies have low external validity.