Explanations for forgetting

Question 1

what are the 2 explanations of forgetting

Answer 1

Interference
retrieval failure

Question 2

what is interference

Answer 2

one memory disturbs the ability to recall

Question 3

what are the two types of interference

Answer 3

proactive interference
retroactive interference

Question 4

what is the PORN acronym

Answer 4

Proactive
Old interferes with new
Retroactive
New interferes with old

Question 5

whats proactive interference

Answer 5

an old memory interferes with a new memory (new memory is distorted)

Question 6

whats retroactive interference

Answer 6

a new memory interferes with an old memory (old memory is distorted)

Question 7

who researched interference

Answer 7

Underwood and Postman

Baddeley and Hitch

Question 8

what was the aim of underwood and postmans study into interference

Answer 8

to find if new learning interferes with previous learning

Question 9

what was the procedure of underwood and postmans study into interference

Answer 9

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

Question 10

what was the findings of underwood and postmans study into interference

Answer 10

group b recall of the first list was more accurate than the recall of group a

Question 11

what did underwood and postman conclude from their results of the study into interference

Answer 11

this suggests that learning items in the second list interfere with p.t ability to recall the list an example of retroactive interference

Question 12

what was the aim of baddleys and hitchs experiment into interference

Answer 12

wanted to see if interference was a better explanation for forgetting than the passage of time.

Question 13

What was the procedure of baddeley and hitch’s study into interference

Answer 13

Asked rugby players to recall the teams they played against week by week

Question 14

What were the results from the baddeley and hitch study into interference

Answer 14

Accurate recall didn’t depend on how long the match was but rather how many games played in the meantime

Question 15

What did baddeley and hitch conclude from their research into interference

Answer 15

This shows the interference explanation can apply to some everyday situations

Question 16

What’s a strength of baddeley and hitch’s research into interference

Answer 16

It is high in ecological validity

Question 17

A strength of Interference

Answer 17

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

Question 18

An weakness of interference

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What are the two types of cues

Answer 19

State cues
Context cues

Question 20

What are context cues

Answer 20

external cues based on the environment

Question 21

What are state cues

Answer 21

Internal cues based on our mental and emotional state

Question 22

When does context-dependent forgetting occur

Answer 22

When the environment during recall is different from the environment you were in when you were learning

Question 23

When does state-dependent forgetting occur

Answer 23

When your mood during recall is different from the mood you were in when you were learning

Question 24

What is retrieved failure forgetting

Answer 24

When we cannot access the memory until the correct retrieval checks used

Question 25

Who investigated context dependent forgetting

Answer 25

Godden and baddeley (1975)

Question 26

What was godden and baddeleys aim into researching retrieval failure

Answer 26

To investigate the effect of environment on recall

Question 27

What was the procedure of godden and baddeleys research into retrieval failure forgetting

Answer 27

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

Question 28

What were the results of Godden and baddeleys research into retrieval failure forgetting

Answer 28

If environmental cues didn’t match at encoding and retrieval, then recall was 40% lower than the matching condition

Question 29

What did Godden and baddeley conclude from their research into retrieval failure forgetting

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What is a strength of retrieval failure forgetting as an explanation

Answer 30

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

Question 31

What is a weakness of retrieval failure forgetting explanation

Answer 31

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