Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
what are the 2 explanations of forgetting
Interference
retrieval failure
what is interference
one memory disturbs the ability to recall
what are the two types of interference
proactive interference
retroactive interference
what is the PORN acronym
Proactive
Old interferes with new
Retroactive
New interferes with old
whats proactive interference
an old memory interferes with a new memory (new memory is distorted)
whats retroactive interference
a new memory interferes with an old memory (old memory is distorted)
who researched interference
Underwood and Postman
Baddeley and Hitch
what was the aim of underwood and postmans study into interference
to find if new learning interferes with previous learning
what was the procedure of underwood and postmans study into interference
p.t split into 2 groups
group A: asked to learn a list of word pairs i.e cat-tree, they were then asked to learn a Second List of word pairs where the second paired word was different i.e cat - swim
group b:asked to learn the first list only
what was the findings of underwood and postmans study into interference
group b recall of the first list was more accurate than the recall of group a
what did underwood and postman conclude from their results of the study into interference
this suggests that learning items in the second list interfere with p.t ability to recall the list an example of retroactive interference
what was the aim of baddleys and hitchs experiment into interference
wanted to see if interference was a better explanation for forgetting than the passage of time.
What was the procedure of baddeley and hitch’s study into interference
Asked rugby players to recall the teams they played against week by week
What were the results from the baddeley and hitch study into interference
Accurate recall didn’t depend on how long the match was but rather how many games played in the meantime
What did baddeley and hitch conclude from their research into interference
This shows the interference explanation can apply to some everyday situations
What’s a strength of baddeley and hitch’s research into interference
It is high in ecological validity
A strength of Interference
P: there’s supporting research by Underwood and postman
E: p.t split into 2 groups with both groups learning a word pair list, however one group had to also learn an additional word pair list with the same first word of the pair as in the first list
E: they found that p.t who had two word lists for them confused
L: shows support for retroactive interference and therefore increases the validity
An weakness of interference
P: it fails to explain why interference happens in the first place
E: Interference is defined as when a particular memory prevents another being recalled, either proactive or retroactive
E: there’s little knowledge as to why memories do this, leading us to question if it should be classified as a description not an explanation
L: this questions the explanation’s validity as it fails to explain the root cause of forgetting
What are the two types of cues
State cues
Context cues
What are context cues
external cues based on the environment
What are state cues
Internal cues based on our mental and emotional state
When does context-dependent forgetting occur
When the environment during recall is different from the environment you were in when you were learning
When does state-dependent forgetting occur
When your mood during recall is different from the mood you were in when you were learning
What is retrieved failure forgetting
When we cannot access the memory until the correct retrieval cues used
Who investigated context dependent forgetting
Godden and baddeley (1975)
What was godden and baddeleys aim into researching retrieval failure
To investigate the effect of environment on recall
What was the procedure of godden and baddeleys research into retrieval failure forgetting
18 Scottish divers asked to learn a list of 36 unrelated words
There were 4 conditions
- learn on the beach — recall on beach
- learn on the beach — recall underwater
- learn underwater — recall on the beach
- learn under water — recall underwater
What were the results of Godden and baddeleys research into retrieval failure forgetting
If environmental cues didn’t match at encoding and retrieval, then recall was 40% lower than the matching condition
What did Godden and baddeley conclude from their research into retrieval failure forgetting
The results shows that context acts as a cue to recall as the p.t recalled more words when they learnt and recalled the words in the same environment than when they learn the words in a different environment
What is a strength of retrieval failure forgetting as an explanation
P: there is supporting research
E: for example Godden and baddeley
E: carried out an experiment where the context of where a person learnt and recalled information varied from being the same or different
L: this shows that there is validity of the explanation as it supports the idea of context dependent forgetting
What is a weakness of retrieval failure forgetting explanation
P: everyday memory isn’t affected by state dependent forgetting
E: everyday memory includes tasks based on procedural memory such as riding a bike
E: procedural memories are very frequently available
L: this matters as just since you’re in a bad mood you don’t forget how to ride a bike, lacks real life application
