memory: explanations for forgetting Flashcards
interference: Describe what is meant by Retroactive and Proactive Interference A01
retroactive = new learning interferes with the recall of old memories
proactive= old memories interfering with the recall of new memories
interference: Give 2 factors that increase the likelihood of interference A01
time between leaning
effect of cues
interference: Describe the Procedure and Findings of McGeoch and MacDonald’s study A01
procedure: pps learned lists of words and were given another list of words or numbers afterwards
findings: the more similar the second list was to the first, the worse the recall of the first list
interference: How does the findings of McGeoch and MacDonald’s study supports the effects of interference on memory? A03
shows that similarity increases the effects of retroactive interference
interference: Describe the Procedure and Findings of Baddeley and Hitch’s study A01
procedure: asked rugby players to remember names of teams they had played so far in season
findings: players had better memory of the teams if they had played less games, how long ago matches was was less important
interference: How do the findings of Baddeley and Hitch’s study support the effects of interference on memory? A03
shows that interference rather than time had an impact on forgetting
interference: Describe the Procedure and Findings of Burke and Skull’s study A01
procedure: participants were shown a video of a crime and asked to recall details about it. Some participants were asked leading questions implying the perpetrator’s guilt, while others were asked neutral questions.
findings: participants who were asked leading questions were more likely to falsely remember details that weren’t in the video, compared to those asked neutral questions. This suggests that leading questions can influence eyewitness memory and lead to inaccuracies in recall.
interference: How do the findings of Burke and Skull’s study support the effects of interference on memory? A03
showing that leading questions can influence memory recall. When participants were asked leading questions implying the perpetrator’s guilt, they were more likely to falsely remember details not in the video. This interference from the leading questions affected their ability to recall accurately, demonstrating how external information can interfere with memory retrieval.
interference: How does research into the effects of interference and have useful real life applications? A03
Legal system: It helps in questioning witnesses more effectively to get accurate information.
Education: Teachers can use it to help students learn better by reducing distractions.
Rehabilitation: In therapy, it guides interventions to improve memory after injury or illness.
Memory tricks: Individuals can use it to remember things better in daily life, like spacing out study sessions.
interference: Why might some research into forgetting have limited application to real life? A03
all studies into forgetting often use controlled laboratory settings and artificial tasks that don’t fully reflect the complexities of everyday memory processes.
interference: How does time between learning the 2 sets of material effect levels of interference? A03
the longer the time between learning, the worse the recall
the shorter the time between learning, the better the recall
interference: How does using cues effect levels of interference? A03
interference is reduces if cues are used to aid memory as similarities effect interference
retrieval failure: Explain what is meant by Retrieval Failure (due to absence of cues) A01
you can’t remember something because the right cues or hints to help you recall it aren’t available
retrieval failure: What is meant by ‘context dependent forgetting’? A01
your ability to remember something is influenced by the environment or context in which you learned or experienced it.
retrieval failure: What is meant by ‘State dependent forgetting’? A01
your ability to remember something is influenced by your internal state or condition at the time of learning and at the time of recall.
retrieval failure: What is meant by the Encoding Specificity Principle? A01
identified by Tulving when studying retrieval failure, he stated that a cue helps us recall has to be present at encoding and retrieval and if not, forgetting occurs
retrieval failure: Describe the Procedure and Findings of Godden and Baddeley’s study A01
procedure: studies recall in divers where they learned and recalled lists of words in 4 conditions
1. land-water
2. land-land
3. water-land
4. water-water
findings: recall is best when learning + recall were in the same place
retrieval failure: How do the findings of Godden and Baddeley’s study support the effects of Retrieval failure on memory? A03
By showing context-dependent forgetting. They found that when scuba divers learned and recalled words underwater, their recall was better when they learned and recalled in the same environment. This suggests that the absence of cues from the learning context (being underwater) during recall (being on land) led to poorer memory retrieval.
retrieval failure: Why might the effects of retrieval failure be exaggerated in Godden and Baddeley’s study? A03
because it was in a unusual, extreme context which would not be the usual day-to-day experience with retrieval failure
retrieval failure: Describe the Procedure and Findings of Goodwin et al A01
procedure: 4 groups were tested on a variety of tasks
group 1- sober learnt, sober recall
group 2- sober learnt, drunk recall
group 3- drunk learnt, sober recall
group 4- drunk learnt, drunk recall
findings: recall best when in same state they were in when learning the task
retrieval failure: How do the findings of Goodwin et al support the effects of state dependent forgetting on memory? A03
Goodwin et al.’s study found that recalling information while intoxicated led to poorer memory compared to recalling it while sober. This supports the idea that memory is influenced by the individual’s state at the time of learning and recall.
retrieval failure: How does research into the effects of retrieval failure have useful real life applications? A03 (see Abernathy or Smith’s findings)
Education: Teachers can use it to improve teaching methods.
Memory: People can use it to remember things better in daily life.
Therapy: It guides therapy to help improve memory in patients with memory problems.
retrieval failure: Why might research into factors affecting EWT have limited application to real life? E.g. why don’t retrieval cues always work in real life? prove a counter A03
Research on eyewitness testimony might not always apply well to real life because it often uses simple tasks and controlled settings. Also, retrieval cues, while helpful, don’t always work in real-life situations due to stress, distractions, or time passing.
counter: research has found that exam performance was much better when taken in the same place / room students learnt in
retrieval failure: Why is the ‘Encoding specificity principle’ difficult to test? A03
it’s hard to create experiments that perfectly mimic real-life situations. Researchers struggle to replicate all the factors that influence memory, like emotions, context, and personal experiences, in controlled laboratory settings. Additionally, measuring how well memory cues match the original encoding context can be tricky, making it difficult to fully test the principle’s predictions.
