Explanations Of Forgetting - Interferance And Retrieval Failure

Question 1

What are the two explanations of forgetting?

Answer 1

Interference and retrieval failure

Question 2

What is interference?

Answer 2

One memory disrupts the ability to recall another.

Likely to occurs when memories similar

Question 3

Real world study supporting interference in general?

Answer 3

Rugby study

Players asked to recall names of teams they had played over a season.

Some players played in all, some missed games due to injury

Start to end time of season same for all players, just number of games played different

Those who played the more games forgot more team names.

Suggests interference caused forgetting(as more names to interfere with each other) and not passing of time (decay)

Question 4

What is proactive interference?

Answer 4

The old memory interfere with the new memory

Question 5

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 5

New memory disrupts past learning

Question 6

What is the tip to remember to help define proactive and retroactive interference?

Answer 6

Pro = going forward so new memory disrupted

Retro = going back so old memory disrupted

about what memo being disrupted!!!

Question 7

Supporting evidence for proactive interference?

4 points

Answer 7

Analysed findings from several studies and found when ps have to learn series of word lists they don’t remember later word lists as good as earlier word lists

Ps who learnt 1 list remembers 70% 24hrs later
Ps who learnt 10+ remembered 20% 24hyrs later

Each list makes it harder to recall following lists

Memo for old lists disrupting recall of new lists

Question 8

Supporting evidence for retroactive interference?

Answer 8

Ps given nonsense syllables to learn for 6 mins.

Some ps then had to describe 3 paintings, others didnt.

Recall poor for ps who had to describe paintings

Question 9

Interference A03

Strength positive applications?

Answer 9

Research shown recall and recognition of advertisers message is reduced when people exposed to 2 adverts from competing brands in same week

Companies need to enhance memory trace by repeating adverts several times a day

Question 10

Interference A03

Criticism lab based research?

Answer 10

Lab based. Learning words artificial task and ps may not be motivated to learn lists.

Lacks ecological validity and findings may not generalise to real life situations

Question 11

Interference A03

Criticism can it explain all types of forgetting?

Answer 11

Interference only seems to lead to forgetting if memories are similar.

Other memories may be forgotten due to passing of time or retrieval failure.

Can’t explain all types of forgetting

Question 12

Interference A03

Criticism individual differences?

Answer 12

ID play a role in forgetting

People with greater working memory less effected by proactive interferences as may be better at controlling processes of information

But theory does not aknocwledge this

Question 13

Define retrieval failure

Answer 13

Argues info is stored in LTM but cannot be found due to insufficient cues or clues

If given s hint, info may be remembered

Question 14

General supporting study for RF?

Answer 14

Psychologist gave lists of words to ps and tested free recall on 3 different occasions

Always got roughly 50% correct but diff words remembered each time

Words always stored in memo just not always accessible

Question 15

Define context dependant forgetting

Answer 15

Research shows recall can be increased by increasing cues.

Forgetting occurs due to absence of clues from a change in context (environment / situation)

Question 16

General study supporting CDF?

Answer 16

Diver study

Divers in two groups and asked to learn word lists on water or on land. Then had to recall words in same environment they were learnt or the opposite

Found recall was higher if ps were tested in same environment they had learned the list due to increase in contextual cues

When in different environment words forgotten due to lack of clues

Question 17

What is state dependant forgetting?

Answer 17

Recall increased if you are in same state you learn info in

Forgetting occurs due to lack of retrieval cues when in different state

Question 18

Supporting evidence for SDF?

Answer 18

Asked male volunteers to learn list of words when they were drunk (3x limit) or sober.

24 hours later ps asked to recall words either in same state they learnt them in or opposite

Recall higher when recall state same as learning state

Question 19

General A03 for retrieval failure

Strength - types of experiments?

Answer 19

Lab field natural experiments have shown importance of retrieval cues on memory

Suggests findings can be applied to real life situation and there is highly ecological validity

Question 20

General A03 for retrieval failure

Strength real life applications?

Answer 20

Even though not possible to take exams in same room learning took place it’s possible to think of room where revision done to reconstruct environment

Cognitive interviews asked witnesses to reconstruct the context by imaging scene of crime

These cues can provide triggers which increase accuracy of witness recall

Question 21

General A03 for retrieval failure

Criticism types of learning? s

Answer 21

Studies show retrieval cues most effective for simple learning e.g. Word lists

In exams you have to recall context ideals that are less easily triggered by simple clues

So this explanation of forgetting cannot explain all examples of forgetting

Question 22

General A03 for retrieval failure

Criticism cause and effect?

Answer 22

The cue may not cause retrieval of memory. It may just be ASSOCIATED with memory

So impossible to test if clue did trigger the recall