Forgetting

Question 1

What does interfence mean

Answer 1

One memory disturbs the ability to recall another memory

Question 2

What is proactive interfence

Answer 2

Old information interferes with new information
(Previously stored info prevents new info from being stored)
- eg can’t remember new phone number cause keep saying old one

Question 3

What is retroactive interference

Answer 3

• when new information interferes with old information
• new info overwrites old info
• eg can’t remember old math class cause u learnt ur new one

Question 4

Explanations for forgetting

Answer 4

1- proactive interference and retroactive interference
2- retrieval failure due to absence of cues

Question 5

Evaluation for forgetting interfence (rugby study in book)

Answer 5

Badley and Hitch
-Rugby players asked to recall the teams they have played over a season.
- the less games players played in the more teams they could recall as they had less interface of memories.

-supports proactive and retroactive reasons for forgetting.

Question 6

What is retrieval failure due to absence of cues

Answer 6

The information is stored in the LMT but can’t be accessed (forgetting due to lack of cues)

Question 7

What does retrieval theory suggest

Answer 7

When we learn info we also encode the context (external cues) we learnt the info in and the mental state we were in (internal cues)

Question 8

Context-dependent forgetting study

Answer 8

Godden and Baddeley
- investugated effect of environment (external cues) on recall
- 18 divers asked to recall a list of 36 words
a) learnt on beach recalled on beach
b)learnt in water recalled in water
c)learnt in water recalled on beach
d) learnt on beach recalled in water

Conclusion
- the groups that learnt and recalled words in the same place did much better than those who learnt and recalled in diff place - shows that context acts as a external cue to help recall info.

Question 9

Evaluation of study

Answer 9

✅- controlled field experiment - can be replicated
✅- real life application - students who do tests in the same place they learnt the info do better as classroom acts as a external cue.

❌- lacks ecological validity - hard to apply learning a meaningless list of words to real life.
❌- group that had to recall and learn in diff places where disrupted and the other group wasn’t - this could effect recall

Question 10

State dependent forgetting (mental state, internal cue) — study

Answer 10

Goodwin - lab experiment - 48 medical students
- see if memory/recall is better when recalled in same state of mind you learnt it in.
-Had to do diff tasks eg photo recognition and word association task
a) learnt sober recall sober
b) learnt intoxicated recall intoxicated (drunk)
c)learnt sober recall drunk
d)learnt drunk recall sober

Results-
- group that learnt and recalled in same state of mind done better and sober sober did the best.
Conclusion-
Supports state-dependent forgetting that mental state acts as an internal cue for recall

Question 11

Evaluation of state-dependent forgetting study

Answer 11

❌-lacks ecological validity
✅- controlled scientific can be repeated