🟣 Memory: Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
What are the two explanations for forgetting
Retrieval failure
Interference
What is interference theory
A form of forgetting stating that interference occurs when at least two pieces of information disrupt each other
What are the types of interference
Proactive interference
Retroactive interference
What is proactive interference
It is when new information is forgotten - the new information is disrupted by old information
Example of retroactive interference
Forgetting old dance moves after learning new dance moves
Example of proactive interference
A teacher finding it hard remembering the names of her current class because she has learnt many names in the past
What is retroactive interference
When old information is forgotten - when old information is disrupted by new information
What effects does similarity have to interference
The more similar the memories are the more likely that they are to be disrupted or corrupted
Explain the effects of similarity research process
Participants were given a list of 10 words to learn - then another list was given to them to remember and there were 6 different lists given to 6 groups of participants consisting of words what were synonyms to the original list and ones that were antonyms.
Who researched the effects of similarity in interference theory
McGeoch and Mcdonald (1931)
What are the evaluation points for Interference theory
• Real-world example of interference
• Counter point of real-world example
• Cues overcome interference
• Drug studies
What are the strengths of interference theory
• Real-world example supporting interference theory
• Drug studies
What are the weaknesses of interference
• Counterpoint to real world example of interferences
• Cues overcome interference
Who researched the real-world study that supports interference theory and in what year
Baddeley and Hitch (1977)
Describe the real word example that supports interference theory
Rugby players were asked to recall the names of the teams that they played during the season
Players who played the most games recalled poorer than those who played the least games (due to injuries etc)
How is real-world study of interference a strength of interference theory
It increases the validity of the theory as it shows how interference occurs in the real world
Explain the counterpoint of the real-world study that supports interference
Due to the study being a real-world application, it lacked control and had many extraneous variables
Who discovered that cues can overwhelm interference and in what year
Tulving and Pstoka (1971)
What did Tulving and Psotka find out about interference and cues
They found out interference is temporary and can be overwhelmed by cues
How did Tulving and Psotka (1971) find out cues can overwhelm interference and what were the results
They found this by giving participants a list of words one at a time organised into categories recall average was about 70% and got worse after learning another category of words
However after given a cue (name of the category) recall rose back to 70%
How is the fact that cues can overwhelm interference a limitation of interference theory
It proves that it does not cover all aspects of forgetting
Who conducted the drug studies of interference theory
Coenen and Luijtelaar (1997)
What were the drug studies of interference theory
Participants were given a list of word to remember, then were given diazepam (so they weren’t able to encode new info) then given another set of words to remember
When asked to recall first set of words they were able to do so very accurately because no information disrupted the other
How is the drug studies test a strengthen interference theory
Proves the interference occurs when two pieces of information disrupts the other or each other
What is retrieval failure
A form of forgetting when cues (encoded alongside info being learnt) are unavailable during the time of recall
What is the encoding specificity principle (ESP)
A principle that states that a helpful cue has to be present during encoding and during recall
What is context-dependent forgetting
Forgetting that happens due to external cues
Examples of context-dependent cues
Weather
Location
Examples of state-dependent cues
Being drunk
Feeling upset
What is state-dependent forgetting
Forgetting that happens due to internal cues
What research had been done context-dependent forgetting
Four conditions were created for deep sea divers to learn and recall a list of words and see whether the environment impacted or impeded recall ability
What were the conditions that the deep sea divers had to learn and recall information during context-dependent forgetting research
• Learn on land - recall on land
• Learn on land - recall underwater
• Learn underwater - recall on land
• Learn underwater - recall underwater
What were the results of Godden and Baddeley (1975) research of context-dependent forgetting
Accurate recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions
Explain the research that had been done on state-dependent forgetting
Carter and Cassady (1998) created for conditions on participants by giving them antihistamine drugs (mild sedative) to create a different internal cue from normal
Who researched context-dependent forgetting and in what year
Godden and Baddeley (1975)
Who researched state-dependent forgetting and in what year
Carter and Cassaday (1998)
What were the conditions that participants had to learn and recall information during context-dependent forgetting research
Learn on drug - recall on drugs
Learn on drugs - recall when sober
Learn sober - recall when on drugs
Learn sober - recall when sober
What was the results of the state-dependent forgetting research
Performance was significantly worse when there was a mismatch between internal states
What are the evaluation points of retrieval failure
Research supporting retrieval failure
Research supporting retrieval failure counterpoint
Real world application of retrieval failure
Retrieval failure only accounts for recall and not recognition
What are the limitations of retrieval failure
Retrieval failure only accounts for recall and not recognition
Research supporting retrieval failure counterpoint
What are the strengths of retrieval failure
Research supporting retrieval failure counterpoint
Real world application of retrieval failure
Explain the evaluation point of real-world application of retrieval failure
Baddeley suggests that cues don’t have a strong effect of forgetting but is still worth paying attention to
Because
When he have trouble remembering something we usually go to the environment in which we last encoded or recalled it
How is the evaluation point of real-world application of retrieval failure a strength
It increases the validity of retrieval failure as if shows it is applicable to real world scenarios
Explain the research support strengthening retrieval failure as a form of forgetting
As well as Godden and Baddeley’s study (1975) on context-dependent forgetting and Carter and Cassaday’s study (1998)
Memory researchers Keane and Eysenck (2010) argue that retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting in the LTM
How is the research support strengthening retrieval failure as a form of forgetting also seen as a counterpoint
Baddeley (1997) stated that context-dependent cues don’t happen often in real life
And that the studies conducted have dramatic contrast in external cues making then not applicable to real life scenarios
Explain how retrieval failure only accounting for recall and not recognition is a limitation of retrieval failure as a form of forgetting
It shows that retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting because it only accounts for recall and not recognition
Explain the recall vs recognition evaluation point limiting retrieval failure as a form of forgetting and what it showed
Godden and Baddeley (1980) replicated their underwater experiment but did a recognition test instead of a recall test
(They asked participants if they recognised a list of words and were not required to recall it)
And it showed that performance was the same in all four of the conditions
