explanations for forgetting - interference Flashcards
interference
forgetting because 1 memory blocks another causing 1 or both memories to be distorted or forgooten.
interference has been proposed mainly as an explanation for forgetting in LTM
one information has reached LTM its more-or-less permanent. therefore any forgetting of LTMs is most likely because we cant get access to them even though they are available .
interference between memories makes it harder for us to locate them, and this is experienced as ‘forgetting.’
types of interference
- proactive interference
- retroactive interference
proactive interference
occurs when an older memory already stored interferes the recall of newer memories. the degree of forgetting is greater when memories are similar.
e.g. your teacher has learned so many names in the past that she has a difficulty remembering the names of her current class.
retroactive interference
forgetting occurs when newer memories interfere the recall of older memories already stored. the degree of forgetting is again greater when memories are similar.
e.g. your teacher has learned so many names this year that she has difficulty remembering the names of the students last year
research on effects of similarity
in both PI and RI, the interference is worse when the memories (or learning) are similar, as discovered by john mcgeoch and william mcdonald (1931).
procedure on effects of similarity
mcgeoch and mcdonald studies RI by changing the amount of similarity between 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 different types of new lists:
1. synonyms
2. antonyms
3. words unrelated to the original ones
4. consonant syllables
5. 3 digit numbers
6. no new list - these participants just rested (control group)
findings and conclusions on effects of similarity
when the participants were asked to recall the original list of words, the most similar material (synonyms) produced the worst recall. this shows that interference is strongest when the memories are similar.
explanation of the effects of similarity
the reason similarity affects recall may be one of 2 reasons:
1. PI - previously stored information makes new similar information more difficult to store.
2. RI - new information overwrite previous similar memories because of the similarity.
strength - interference
p - real-world evidence of interference effects in more everyday situations.
e - baddeley and hitch (1977) asked rugby players to recall the names of the teams they had played against during a rugby season. the players all played for the same interval (over one season) but the number of intervening games varied because some players missed matches due to injury.
p - players who played the most games (most interference for memory) had the poorest recall.
l - this study shows that interference can operate in at least some real-world situations, increasing the validity of the theory.
limitation - interference
p - interference is temporary and can be overcome by using cues (hints or clues to help us remember something).
e - tulving and psotka (1971) gave participants lists of words organised into categories, one list at a time (participants were not told what the categories were). recall averaged about 70% for the 1st list, but became progressively worse as participants learned each additional list (PI).
e - at the end of the procedure the participants were given a cued recall test - they were told the names of the categories. recall rose again to about 70% .
l - this shows that interference causes a temporary loss of accessibility to material that is still in LTM, a finding not predicted by interference theory.
