Interference - AO1 Flashcards
What is interference theory?
Two pieces of information disrupt each other resulting in forgetting on of both or in some distortion of memory.
Interference has been proposed mainly as an explanation for forgetting in LTM
Interference makes it harder to locate information in LTM and this is experienced as forgetting
What are the two types of inteference?
Proactive interefence - an older memory interferes with a newer one
Retroactive interference - a newer memory interferes with an older one
Who researched the effects on similarity in interference?
McGeoch and McDonald (1931)
They discovered that in PI and RI, interference is worse when memories are similar
What is the procedure into research effects on similarity in interference?
They studied retroactive interference by changing the amount of similarity between two sets of materials
PPs had to learn a list of 10 words until they could remember them with 100% accuracy
Then they learnt a new list
There were six groups of PPs who had to learn different types of new lists
* Group 1: Synonyms
* Group 2: Antynoms
* Group 3: Words unrelated to the orginal one
* Group 4: Consonant syllables
* Group 5: Three-digit numbers
* Group 6: No new list (control group)
What are the findings into research effects on similarity in interference?
When PPs asked to recall the original list of words, the most similar material (synonyms) produced the worst recall
What are the conclusions into research effects on similarity in interference?
Shows interference is strongest when memories are similar
Why does similarity affect recall?
PI - previously stored information makes new similar information more difficult to store
RI - new information overwrites previous similar memories because of the similarity
