Memory-forgfeting:interfence Flashcards
Retroactive interference: George Muller (1900)
Definition?
How tested?
What were some Ppts given? 🎨
Outcome?
New learning interferes with past learning
Nonsense syllables- 6 minutes to learn(retention interval)-then recall
Some Ppts were given an intervening task between initial learning and recall (asked to describe 3 landscape painting)
Intervening task = worst recall… Describing pictures interfered with recall of syllables
Proactive interference
Underwood 1957
Definitions?
What did he do?
What did he discover
Stats
Past learning interferes with attempts to learn new material
He analysed the findings where ppts have to learn word lists
He discovered Ppts did not do well on list encountered later on in the sequence in comparison to lists of words encountered earlier on
Ppts that remembered 10 or more lists >after 24 hours > remembered only 20%
If they only learnt one word list > recall over 70%
Similarity of test material
When is interfere most strongest?
Who found this out?
Interference strongest the more similar the items.
McGeoch and McDonald (1931)
Only Interference and not decay can explain this
Real-world study-
Baddely and Hitch(1977)
Rugby player recall of names of teams played in a season (some had missed games during the season due to injury)
What was the time interval?
What was different between players?
What did the decay theory suggest?
What was actually found?
Beginning to end of season
Number of intervening games
Decay states > similar % recall as time causes decay
Rugby players who played most game>forgot more>proof of inference
Evaluation-
Artificial research
Lab-based and used artificial lists of words and nonsense syllables
What does this mean?
Counterargument?
Lacks ecological validity
Interference effect conveyed in real-world study (Baddley and Hitch 1977)
Evaluation-
Interference only explains some situations of forgetting
Interference affects do not occur often in everyday life (requires special condition to be effective-similar material)
What did Anderson (2000) conclude?
Inference plays a role in forgetting but the amount of forgetting that could be attributed to interference is unclear
Evaluation-
Accessibility Versus availability-
What did Ceraso (1967) find out about accessibility when memory was tested again after 24 hours?
What does this show about interference?
Recognition (accessibility) showed considerable spontaneous recovery.
Interference occurs due to memories being temporarily not accessible rather than being unavailable
