explanations for forgetting

Question 1

what are the two explanations for forgetting?

Answer 1

interference
retrieval failure

Question 2

what is interference?

Answer 2

this is an explanation for forgetting in the long term memory. it is where one memory disrupts the ability to recall another and the two pieces of information conflict with each other and these two memories usually have some similarity

Question 3

why do we forget memories?

Answer 3

once information has reached the LTM it is more or less permanent. therefore forgetting memories in the long term memory is probably because we cant get access to them, even though they are available.

Question 4

what is forgetting?

Answer 4

this is when interference between memories makes it harder to locate them, known as forgetting

Question 5

what are the two kinds of interference?

Answer 5

proactive interference
retroactive interference

Question 6

what is proactive interference?

Answer 6

this is when an old memory interacts with a new one
we say this is old information that moves forward in time

Question 7

what is an example of proactive interference?

Answer 7

when you struggle to remember your new phone number as you still remember your old one

Question 8

what is retroactive interference?

Answer 8

this is when a newer memory interacts with an older memory
we say this is new information moving back in time

Question 9

what is an example of retroactive interference?

Answer 9

struggling to recall your old phone number as you can only remember your new one

Question 10

what is McGeoch and McDonalds procedure in the study Into retroactive interference?

Answer 10

they studied retroactive interference by changing the amount of similarity between the two sets of materials. participants had to learn a list of 10 words until they could remember them with 100% accuracy. they then learned a new list. there were 6 groups of participants who had to learn the different types of lists
GROUP 1: synonyms- words with the same meaning as the original
GROUP 2: antonyms- words with the opposite meanings to the originals
GROUP 3: words unrelated to the original ones
GROUP 4: constonant syllables
GROUP 5: three-digit numbers
GROUP 6: no new list- the participants just retested

Question 11

what were the findings to McGeogh and McDonalds study into retroactive interference?

Answer 11

when the participants then recalled the original list of words, their performance depended on the nature of the second list. the most similar material (synonyms) produced the worst recall. this shows that interference is the strongest when the memories are similar.

Question 12

AO3: how is ‘supporting evidence’ a strength to the research into retroactive interference?

Answer 12

Muller and Pilzecker- they gave participants a list of nonsense syllables to learn for 6 minutes. after a retention interval, they were asked to recall the lists. one group of participants were not given an intervening task between initial learning and recall but the other group were- the letters group performance was worse

Question 13

AO3: how is ‘supporting evidence’ a strength into the research of proactive interference?

Answer 13

Underwood- analysed the findings from a number of studies. he concluded that when participants have to learn a series of word lists, they don’t learn the list of words encountered later in the sequence as well as the list of words earlier on in the sequence. this shows that their old learning was preventing the recall of newer words

Question 14

AO3: how is ‘very artificial’ a limitation into the research of inference?

Answer 14

these studied are lab experiments so they use very artificial stimuli. this is not like the things we learn and try to remember in everyday life. for example, we try to learn things like peoples faces and birthdays. this means that the research lacks ecological validity and may not explain the role of forgetting in real life.

Question 15

AO3: how is ‘only explains some situations of forgetting’ a limitation into the research of interference?

Answer 15

it is most likely if two memories are quite similar- this is not often the case. although interference may play a role in forgetting, it cannot be the only reason. it is therefore a limited explanation

Question 16

what is retrieval failure?

Answer 16

this is an explanation for forgetting from the long term memory. it refers to difficulties in recall that are due to the absence of correct retrieval cues or triggers

Question 17

what are retrieval cues?

Answer 17

a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory

Question 18

what is the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 18

the reason people forget information may be because of insufficient cues. when information is initially placed in memory, cues associated with this are stored at the same time. if these cues are not available at the time of recall, it may seem as if information is forgotten, but this is actually due to retrieval failiure. (not being able to access memories that are there)

Question 19

what is the encoding specificity principle>

Answer 19

when a cue needs to be present at encoding and at retrieval otherwise there will be some forgetting

Question 20

what are the two examples of cues encoded at the time of encoding?

Answer 20

context-dependent forgetting (external cues)
dependent forgetting (internal cues)

Question 21

what is context dependent forgetting?

Answer 21

whenever information is learned, we remember where we learned it. if we try and remember when we are in a different context this may leave to retrieval failure and forgetting

Question 22

what is Godden and Baddeleys (1975) procedure for their research into context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 22

they did a study of deep sea divers working underwater (its crucial for them to be able to remember their instructions on their work underwater)
the divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land.
there are 4 conditions:
learn on land - recall on land
learn on land - recall in water
learn in water - recall in water
learn in water - recall on land

Question 23

what is state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 23

the emotional/mental state that you are in the time of learning can also act as a cue e.g. happy, sad, drunk, anxious
if you are in a different state, this can lead to retrieval failure and forgetting

Question 23

what were the findings into Baddeley and Goddens research into context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 23

the external context acted as a cue to recall as the participants recalled more words when they learned and recalled the world in the same environment rather than a different one.

Question 24

what was the conclusion into Baddeley and Goddens research into context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 24

the external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall - this leads to retrieval failure

Question 25

AO3: how is ‘supporting research’ a strength into the research of the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 25

a lot of research supports the retrieval failure explanation of forgetting. the studies by Godden and Baddeley, Carter and Cassidy. the memory researcher, Eysenck (2010), argues that retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting in the LTM. this is a strength because supporting evidence increases the validity of an explanation. this is especially true when the evidence shows that retrieval failure occurs in real life situations as well as in the highly controlled conditions of the lab.

Question 26

AO3: how is ‘context effects are actually not very strong’ a limitation into the research of the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 26

different contexts have to be very different before an effect is seen e.g. it would be hard to find an environment as different from land as underwater. in contrast, learning something in one room and recalling it in another is unlikely to result in much forgetting because these environments are not that different. this is a limitation because it means that the real-life applications of retrieval failure due to contextual cues don’t actually explain much forgetting.

Question 27

AO3: how is ‘used in cognitive interviews for eyewitness testimonies’ a strength into the research of the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 27

however, Baddeley suggests that context effects are still worth paying attention too. when we are having trouble remembering something, it is probably worth making the effort to try and recall the environment in which you learned it first. this is a technique used by police in the cognitive interview when eyewitnesses to crimes try to recall more information (witness may also be asked to describe their mood/emotinal state when the incident they have witnessed took place)

Question 28

AO3: how is ‘Godden and Baddeley replication of their investigation’ a limitation into the research of the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 28

they replicated their underwater experiment but used a recognition test instead of recall.
participants had to say whether they recognised a word read to them from the list, instead of retrieving it for themselves. when recognition was tested, there was no context-dependent effect; performance was the same in all four conditions. this is another limitation of context effects because it means that the presence or absence of cues only effects memory when you test it in a certain way.

Question 29

what is the procedure into the research of state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 29

researchers gave anti-histamine drugs to their participants which had a mild sedative effect making the participants slightly drowsy. this creates an internal physiological state , different from the ‘normal’ state of being awake and alert. the participants had to learn a list of words and passages of prose and then recall the information.
they created four conditions:
learn on the drug - recall on the drug
learn on the drug - recall when not on it
learn not on the drug - recall when on the drug
learn not on the drug - recall when not on it

Question 30

what are the findings into the research of state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 30

in the conditions where there was a mismatch between internal states at learning and recall, performance on the memory test was significantly worse, so when the cues are absent, you are drowsy when recalling information but alert when learning it, then their is more forgetting