Memory - 04 Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
What are 2 types of forgetting?
1)interference
2)retrieval failure
what is interference?
happened when one memory disrupts the ability to remember another
What are the two types of interference?
1)proactive interference
2)retroactive interference
What is proactive interference?
-forwards
-proactive interference occurs when an older memory interferes with a newer memory
What is retroactive interference?
-backwards
-retroactive interference occurs when a new memory prevents the recall of an older memory
When is interference most likely to occur?
when memories are similar for example phone numbers
What is retrieval failure?
-occurs when a memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided
What is a cue?
a trigger or information that allows us to access a memory
If a cue is to help us remember information when does it need to be present?
at coding (when we learn it) and at retrieval (when we are recalling it)
Research support for proactive interference (Keppel and Underwood)
-p’s recall trigrams after intervals where they counted backwards in threes
-forgetting increased after each interval, little forgetting occurred at start
-earlier trigrams entered LTM and interfered with formation of new memories
Research support for retroactive interference (Muller)
-p’s learning list of syllables, given intervening task between exposure and recall
-intervening task produced retroactive interference, p’s struggled to recall lists
Weakness of interference theory (lab setting)
-lacks ecological validity and also mundane realism as tasks are rarely indicative of what people would experience in real life
-makes it difficult to generalise to real life or understand how much day-to-day forgetting can be credited to interference or even forgetting in general
Weakness of interference theory (individual differences)
-individual differences, some people are less affected by proactive interference compared to others
-Kane et al (2000), people with bigger working memory spans were less susceptible to proactive interference
-highlights how interference theories cannot be fully generalised to everyone
strength of interference theory (real world application)
-can help with marketing campaigns
-Danaher et al (2008), people exposed to ads from competing brands within short time frame p’s struggled to recognise brands/messages
-so ads should be spaced far apart from rivals and repeated more than once a day to help avoid dilution of adverts
Weakness of interference theory (only explains forgetting when information is similar)
-cannot explain why forgetting occurs in the majority of real life situations when information is not similar
-only one part of a bigger explanation and is over-simplified
What is retrieval failure?
failing to access a memory due to insufficient clues to aid recall rather than it being unavailable
What does a cues effectiveness depend on?
the number of items associated with it with fewer items leading to a more effective cue
When does Tulving say memory recall is the most effective?
When information which was present at the time of encoding is available during retrieval
What are the two types of cue-dependent forgetting?
1)context dependent forgetting
2)state dependent forgetting
When does context dependent forgetting occur?
when external environmental retrieval cues are different to when the information was encoded
e.g. sights or sounds
When does state dependent forgetting occur?
when the internal state of the person is different to when the information was encoded
e.g. emotions
supporting evidence for context dependent forgetting (Abernethy)
-after p’s learnt material, showed greater difficulty with recall when tested by unfamiliar teacher in unfamiliar room compared to familiar teacher and room
-shows importance of context aiding the memory retrieval process
