Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
what is interference?
the type of forgetting caused by one memory disrupting another. There are two types; proactive and retroactive
what is proactive interference?
the process whereby old learning interferes with the ability to learn something new
what is retroactive interference?
the process whereby recent (new) learning interferes with the recall of old learning
give an example of proactive and retroactive interference?
P- when asked your new phone number you can only remember your old one
R- your mum asks you what your old address is but you can only remember your new one
what 3 factors affect interference?
-similarity; increases effects of int
-time between learning; smaller time gap increases effects of int
-effects of cues; reduces effects of int
what did McGeoch and MacDonald do and what did they find?
studied retroactive interference and effects of similarity on interference
ppts learned list of words and then another list of words or numbers,
the more similar the second list was to the 1st, the worst recall of the first
how did McGeoch and Macdonald study support interference?
-supports retroactive interference
-shows that similarity increases interference
what is a limitation of McGeoch and MacDonald study?
low external validity since it was a lab study.
-time gap between learning material is shorter than in real life, this exaggerates the effects of interference
ALSO LOW MUNDANE REALISM
-word lists lack meaning but in real life you learn things with meaning, so this exaggerates effects also
what were the procedures of Baddeley and Hitch and what did they find?
asked rugby players to recall names of teams and scores they played this year
players had better recall of teams if they played less games
how long ago the game was had little impact
SHOWS…. similarity increases int
how does Baddeley and Hitch’s study support interference?
shows similarity increases interference
what is a strength of Baddeley and Hitch?
high external validity.
Natural experiment because the IV is the number of games played and these games have happened anyway
means results can be generalised to real life
describe the procedures and findings of Burke and Skrull’s study?
gave people magazine adverts to recall from memory
more similar products were, the worse recall
how does Burke and Skrull’s study support interference?
shows similarity increases interference
what are two strengths of Burke and Skrull’s study?
real life application:
-helps advertisement as we know not to place two similar products close together
-also helps us when revising, if you revise different topics close together rather than similar ones, effects of int reduced
high external validity/ mundane realism:
-using real life materials
what is retrieval failure?
material to be recalled is available but nit accessible due to lack of a suitable cue.
what is meant by the ‘encoding specificity principle’ ?
states that a cue that helps us recall information has to be present at encoding (when we learn something) and at retrieval (when we want to recall it). If it isn’t, forgetting can occur
what is context dependent forgetting?
forgetting because you are in a different place to when you learnt the information
what is state dependent forgetting?
forgetting because you are in a different internal state to when you learnt something
what were the procedures and findings of Godden and Baddeley’s study?
studied recall in divers by having them learn and recall lists of words in 4 conditions:
1. land-water
2.land-land
3.water-land
4.water-water
found that recall was best if learning and recall were done in the same place
how does Gooden and Baddeley support retrieval failure?
shows evidence for context dependent forgetting
forgetting occurs when learning and recalling in different places due to lack of a cue
why might the effects of retrieval failure be exaggerated in Godden and Baddeley’s study?
being in land and water are two extreme conditions, in real life different conditions such as being at desk and home and in school aren’t very different locations. LOW EXTERNAL VALIDITY
describe the procedures and findings of Goodwin et al?
studied state dependent forgetting
4 groups:
1. sober-sober
2.sober-drunk
3.drunk-sober
4.drunk-drunk
each group tested on a variety of tasks including picture recognition
groups performed best if they had same internal state at learning and recall
how does the Goodwin et al study support retrieval failure?
shows internal state acts as a cue for recall, so if state is different at learning and recall this leads to retrieval failure so forgetting.
give a strength and limitation of Goodwin et al?
strength- high internal validity due to high levels of control
limitation- low mundane realism, tasks don’t reflect things we forget in real life
how does research into the effects of retrieval failure have useful real life applications?
Abernathy found that students to better in exams if they take them in the room where they did their learning
Smith found that just thinking about the room where you did your original learning was just as effective
why do retrieval cues not always work in real life?
many things we learn are complicated and multi-faceted and single cues (especially those related to context and/or state) are rarely effective in helping us to remember them
why is the encoding specificity principle impossible to test?
it has a circular explanation
If a cue leads to the retrieval of a memory then it must have been encoded in memory. If it does not lead to retrieval of a memory then, according to the encoding specificity principle, it can’t have been encoded in memory. But it is impossible to test for an item that hasn’t been encoded in memory, so this cannot be proved.
