Forgetting

Question 1

What are the 2 explanations for forgetting?

Answer 1

Retrieval failure

Interference

Question 2

What does interference mean?

Answer 2

When 2 pieces of information are in conflict.

Question 3

Why does forgetting occur in LTM?

Answer 3

Because we can’t get access to memories even thought they’re available.

Question 4

What are the 2 types of interference?

Answer 4

Proactive

Retroactive

Question 5

What is proactive interference?

Answer 5

An older memory disrupts a newer one.

Question 6

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 6

A newer memory disrupts an older one.

Question 7

Who conducted a key study into interference?

Answer 7

McGeoch and McDonald.

Question 8

What was the procedure of McGeoch’s and McDonald’s study?

Answer 8

• Participants were asked to learn a list of words to 100% accuracy, and they were then given a new list to learn.
• G1: synonyms (words had same meanings as the original list)
• G2: antonyms (words had opposite meanings to the original list)
• G3: unrelated (words unrelated to original list)
• G4: nonsense syllables
• G5: 3 digit numbers
• G6: no new list (control condition)

Question 9

What did McGeoch and McDonald find?

Answer 9

• The most similar material (synonyms) produced the worst recall.
• When participants were given very different material (3 digit numbers), the mean number of items recalled increased.
• Shows interference is stronger when memories are similar.

Question 10

State 2 positives of interferences as an explanation for forgetting.

Answer 10

Lab experiments:
- E.G. McGeoch and McDonald
- shows that both types of interference are very likely causes of forgetting
- lab experiemtns control extraneous variables to increase validity.
Real-life studies:
- Baddeley and Hitch - rugby players

Question 11

State 3 negatives of interferences as an explanation for forgetting.

Answer 11

Artificial materials:
- word lists
- interference is therefore more likely in the laboratory and may not be a likely cause of everyday ‘forgetting’
Time periods between learning lists of words and recalling them are quite short in lab studies:
- 20 minutes
- doesn’t reflect how we learn and remember most information in real life
Interference effects may be overcome using cues:
- Tulving and Psotka
- gave participants 5 lists of 24 words each organised into 6 categories, recall was about 70% for the first list but fell as each additional list was learned.
- however, when given a cued recall, recall increased again to 70%.

Question 12

Explain retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting.

Answer 12

• Lack of cues can cause retrieval failure.
• When information is initially placed in memory, associated cues are stored at the same time.
• If these cues aren’t available at the time of recall, you might not be able to access memories that are actually there.

Question 13

Who came up with the encoding specificity principle (ESP)?

Answer 13

Tulving

Question 14

What is the encoding specificity principle (ESP)?

Answer 14

• Tulving suggested that cues help retrieval if the sam cues are present at encoding.
• The closer the retrieval cue to the original cue, the better the cue works.
• Some cues have meaning linked to the memory.
• Other cues are also encoded at the time of learning but not in a meaningful way.

Question 15

What 2 types of forgetting are involved in the retrieval failure explanation for forgetting?

Answer 15

Context-dependent forgetting

State-dependent forgetting

Question 16

What is context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 16

When memory retrieval is dependent on an external cue (e.g. weather/place).

Question 17

What is state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 17

When memory retrieval is dependent on an internal cue (e.g. being drunk).

Question 18

Who conducted a key study into retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 18

Godden and Baddeley

Question 19

What was the procedure of Godden and Baddeley’s study?

Answer 19

• Deep sea divers learned lists and were later asked to recall them.
• G1: learn on land - recall on land.
• G2: learn on land - recall underwater.
• G3: learn underwater - recall on land.
• G4: learn underwater - recall underwater.

Question 20

What was the findings of Godden and Baddeley’s study?

Answer 20

• When the environmental contexts of learning and recall didn’t match, accurate recall was 40% lower than when they did match.
• When the external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall, this led to retrieval failure due to lack of cues.
• The study demonstrates context-dependent forgetting because information was not accessible when context at recall did not match context at learning.

Question 21

State 2 positives of retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting.

Answer 21

Impressive range of evidence:
- Godden and Baddeley
- Eysenck argues that retrieval failure is prehaps the main reason for forgetting in LTM.
- Increases validity of explanation.
Context-related cues have useful everyday applications:
- when we have trouble remembering something, it’s probably worth making the effort to revisit the environment in which you 1st experienced it.

Question 22

State 3 negatives of retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting.

Answer 22

Context effects are actually not very strong in real life:
- contexts have to be v different before an effect can be seen (e.g. underwater vs land).
Context effects only occur when memory is tested in certain ways:
- Godden and Baddeley replicated their study using a recognition test rather than recall.
- There was no context-dependent forgetting effect.
- Performance was the same in all 4 conditions.
ESP cannot be tested and leads to circular reasoning:
- no way to independently establish whether o not the cue has really been encoded.