Memory L5-6 (forgetting explanations) Flashcards
What is meant by forgetting?
Refers to the inability to access or recover information that has been previously stored in memory.
What is the interference theory?
- Claims that forgetting occurs when two memories are in conflict.
- Interference is more likely to occur when the two lots of information are similar. -less likely to occur when there is a gap between the instances of learning.
What is proactive interference and a supporting research study?
When an old memory interferes with the formation/recall of a new one.
Underwood (1957): investigated proactive interference.
-He found that participants who learned ten or more lists of words could only recall 20% of the words the next day.
-Participants who learned one list of words recalled over 70% of the words the next day.
What is retroactive interference and a supporting study?
When new memories disrupt old memories.
McGeoch and McDonald (1931) :demonstrated retroactive interference.
-gave participants lists of words that they had to learn until they could recall them with 100% accuracy.
-Participants then learned a new list. New list was either synonyms, antonyms or digits. Participants were then asked to remember the original list.
- those given numbers had the most accurate recall as numbers don’t interfere with words.
Participants given the list of synonyms had the worst recall. Learning two lists of words that have the same meaning would cause interference.
Explain the Baddely and Hitch 1977 study.
- they asked rugby players to recall the names of teams they had played earlier in the season.
- some pps had played less games due to injury/suspension.
Findings: - accurate recall of teams depended on the number of games played since.
- players who had played lots of matches since had the least accurate recall due to greater risk of new teams they had played interfering with the previous memories of teams.
What are the strengths of interference as an explanation for forgetting?
Lots of supporting research lab studies. (Eg. McGeoch + McDonald)
Lab studies are well controlled and extraneous variables are minimised.
This increases the overall validity of of the explanation.
Weaknesses of interference as an explanation for forgetting?
- most supporting evidence are lab studies carried out using unrealistic tasks. Therefore it may not mirror real life memory accurately= low ecological validity.
- When interference occurs, loss of information may only be temporary, therefore is not a true explanation for forgetting because the information is not actually over-written and is still in LTM.
Explain retrieval failure due to absence of cues as an explanation to forgetting.
This theory argues that information is often stored in the LTM but cannot be retrieved due to lack of cues.
- when information is initially placed in memory, associated cues are stored at the same time. The cues can either be meaningful or linked to the context.
- these cues are often needed to trigger the memory.
- forgetting in the LTM is down to retrieval failure rather than availability.
What is the encoding specificity principle?
- proposed by Tulving 1983.
- suggests that cues will help retrieval if the same cues are present at encoding and retrieval.
- the closer the retrieval cue to the original cue, the more effective the cue in triggering the memory.
What is context dependant forgetting?
- can occur when the environment during recall is different from the environment you were in when you were learning.
- in this case the environment is the cue.
What is state dependent forgetting?
- occurs when your mood or physical state during recall is different to the state you were in when the memory was created.
- these cues are internal. For example, mood/drunk/tired etc.
Explain a supporting study for context dependent forgetting.
Godden and Baddeley 1975:
- 18 divers from a diving club asked to learn lists of 36 unrelated words and then recall them.
- there were 4 conditions:
1. learn on beach, recall on beach. 2. Learn underwater, recall on beach.
3. learn on beach, recall under water. 4. Learn underwater, recall underwater. - Findings: Accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions as the were no external cues present.
Explain a supporting study for state dependent forgetting.
Carter and Cassaday 1998:
- gave pps anti-histamines which are drugs for controlling their hay fever. A side effect was drowsiness.
- pps had to learn lists of words and passages and then recall them.
- there were 4 groups: two had internal state matched (drug taken or not taken) when remembering and recalling. Other two had internal state mismatched (drug only in one situation)
- recall was significantly worse in mismatched conditions compared to the matched, as the internal cues are absent.
Strengths of retrieval failure as an explanation to forgetting?
+Variety of research- both lab and real-life studies. Shows its validity and that it is a major explanation for forgetting.
+Concept of state and context dependent cues has real life applications.
Weakness of retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting?
- many research studies lack ecological validity.
- retrieval cues don’t always work as our learning is related to alot more than just cues.
- actually very difficult to test the encoding specificity principle as we don’t know what cues are meaningful to each individual so any studies lack reliability.
