Forgetting: Interference and Retrieval failure

Question 1

Interference meaning

Answer 1

occurs when two pieces of information conflict with each other resulting in forgetting of one or both memories or distortion in memory.

Question 2

2 Types of Interference

Answer 2

Proactive and retroactive

Question 3

Proactive interference

Answer 3

When older memories (already stored) disrupt recall of newer memories

Question 4

Retroactive interference

Answer 4

When newer memories disrupt recall of older memories

Question 5

Effects of similarity on forgetting

Answer 5

The degree of forgetting is greater when memories are similar

Question 6

Retroactive Study - Who?

Answer 6

McGeoch and McDonald

Question 7

McGeoch and McDonald

Answer 7

Changed the level of similarity between 2 sets of materials. Ppts had to learn a list of 10 words until their recall was 100% accurate. Then learn a new list. Six groups all had varying levels of similarity - Group 6 = control group.

Question 8

McGeoch and McDonald findings

Answer 8

The most similar material produced the worst recall

Question 9

Evaluation for Interference

Answer 9

+ Baddeley and Hitch - Rugby players
- Tulving and Psotka - cues
- Lab experiment

Question 10

Retrieval failure meaning

Answer 10

Form of forgetting when necessary cues to access memories aren’t present.

Question 11

Cue meaning

Answer 11

A trigger of information that allows us to access a memory

Question 12

ESP short for and who

Answer 12

Encoding Specificity Principle - Tulving

Question 13

Encoding Specificity Principle

Answer 13

States that if a cue helps us recall information it has to be present at encoding and retrieval. If cues are different at those stages forgetting occurs

Question 14

Context dependent forgetting study

Answer 14

Godden and Baddeley - Divers

Question 15

Godden and Baddeley procedure

Answer 15

Carried out a study on deep sea divers. The divers learnt a list of words either underwater or on land and then had to recall these words either underwater or on land. This created 4 conditions.

Question 16

Godden and Baddeley findings

Answer 16

Two conditions had matching environmental contexts of learning and recall, the other two did not. In non-matching conditions accurate recall was 40% lower. The external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall which caused retrieval failure.

Question 17

State dependent forgetting study

Answer 17

Carter and Cassaday - Drug for Hay fever

Question 18

Carter and Cassaday study procedure

Answer 18

Procedure-Carter and Cassaday gave drugs for treating hay fever to their participants. The drugs had a mild sedative effect making the participants drowsy. The participants had to learn a list of words and a passage of prose and then recall the information. There were 4 conditions

Question 19

Carter and Cassaday Findings

Answer 19

In the conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall ,performance was worse. So when cues are absent, then there is more forgetting.

Question 20

Retrieval Failure AO3
Baddeley and Godden

Answer 20

Recall vs Recognition-Godden and Baddeley replicated their underwater study with a recognition test instead of a recall test. There was no context-dependent effect and performance was the same in all four conditions. The test didn’t require any recall. This is another limitation of context effects as it suggests that the presence/absence of cue only affects memory when you test it in a certain way.