lecture 3- forgetting

Question 1

forgetting curves- Ebbinghaus (1885/1913)

Answer 1

• examined his own ability to learn lists of nonsense syllables (e.g., jep, qar, fib, etc.)
• developed Savings Method – the reduction in number of trials necessary to re-learn the material over different retention intervals
• results: forgetting is consistent with a logarithmic or power function
• forgetting generally fastest shortly after learning
• then a slower decline

Question 2

Bahrick (1984)

Answer 2

Bahrick (1984)
* Retention of Spanish vocabulary up to 50 years after school instruction
* Findings were consistent with Ebbinghaus
– rapid loss in the first 3 years, then relatively stable until 35 years
– further decline between 35 and 50 years
– permastore: after the initial decline, memories appear to be very resistant to loss

Question 3

LEARNING and FORGETTING

Answer 3

What is the relationship between the degree of initial learning and forgetting over time?

Meeter, Murre and Janssen (2005)
14000+ participants answered questions about publicized world events

Results consistent with Ebbinghaus
* rapid loss at short intervals, then slower loss
* forgetting rates do not depend on degree of learning

Answer 4

What is the relationship between the degree of initial learning and forgetting over time?
Better learning →
linear forgetting (initially)
Poorer learning →
Ebbinghaus-consistent forgetting