Explantions Of Forgetting

Question 1

What is interference?

Answer 1

Interference is when one memory disturbs the ability to recall another. This might result in forgetting in or distorting one or the other or both. This is more likely to happen if the memories are similar.

Question 2

Proactive interference

Answer 2

Previously learnt information interferes with the new information you are trying to store.

Question 3

Retroactive information

Answer 3

A new memory interferes with the older ones.

Question 4

McGeoch and McDonald (1931)

Answer 4

Studied RI by changing the amount of similarity between two sets of materials. (Lists of words).

Participants each had a list of the same 10 words to recall until they were 100% accurate.

They were then given a new list to learn.

Then once they had learnt the new list they were then required to recall the original list.

Question 5

Results for McGeoch and McDonald

Answer 5

Performance depended on the nature of the second list.

The most similar material (synonyms) produced the worst recall.

When the participants were given very different material (eg. Three-digit numbers) the mean number of items recalled increased.