Memory: Theories on forgetting

Question 1

What does the Interference theory suggest?

Answer 1

Interference theory suggests that memories interfere with and disrupt one another

Question 2

What does proactive interference mean?

Answer 2

Old information disrupts new.

Question 3

What does retroactive interference mean?

Answer 3

New information disrupts old.

Question 4

What does the Trace Decay Theory of Forgetting suggest?

Answer 4

Forgetting in STM assumes that memories leave a trace in the brain.

States that forgetting occurs as a result of automatic decay or fading of the memory trace.

Focuses on time and the limited duration of short term-memory (STM)

Suggests STM memory can only hold information for between 15-30 secs unless it is rehearsed. After this time information/trace decays and fades away

Question 5

What is a Trace?

Answer 5

A trace is some form of physical or chemical change in the nervous system.

Question 6

What is retrieval failure?

Answer 6

When the information is in LTM but cannot be accessed. It cannot be accessed because retrieval cues are not present

Question 7

What are retrieval cues?

Answer 7

When storing a memory we also store information about the situation. These retrieval cues can trigger the memory of the situation.

Retrieval cues can be
External/ Context- in the environment (e.g. smell,place)
Internal/State- inside of us (e.g. physical, emotional)

Question 8

What does Tulving(1974) state?

Answer 8

Tulving(1974):
Information would be readily retrieved if the cues present when info was encoded were also present when its retrieval is required.

Question 9

What does context- dependent forgetting:

Answer 9

Retrieval cues may be based on the context/ setting or situation in which information is encoded and retrieved.

Question 10

What did Godden and Baddely(1975) research involve?

Answer 10

Carried out a study of deep sea divers working underwater. This situation is important and divers need to remember instructions before diving.

Question 11

What were the finding of the Godden and Baddely(1975) research?

Answer 11

Two conditions had matching environmental contexts of learning and recall, the other two did not.
In non-matching conditions accurate recall was 40% lower.
The external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall which cause retrieval failure

Question 12

What are State Dependent Cues?

Answer 12

Memory will be best when a person’s physical or psychological state is similar at encoding and retrieval.

Question 13

What did Tulving and Pearlstone (1966) involve?

Answer 13

Study involved external cues
But cue dependent forgetting has also been shown with internal cues. Information about current mood state is often stored in the memory trace, and there is more forgetting if the mood state at the time of retrieval is different.
The notion that there should be less forgetting when the mood state at learning and at retrieval is the same generally known as mood state dependent memory

Question 14

What does Displacement from STM suggest?

Answer 14

Displacement seeks to explain forgetting in STM and suggest it due to a lack of availability

Question 15

What is the Displacement theory?

Answer 15

When STM is full , new info displaces or pushes out old information and takes its place. The old information which is displaced is forgotten in STM

Question 16

What is the primacy effect?

Answer 16

Good recall of items at the start of the list

Question 17

What is the recency effect?

Answer 17

Good recall of items at the end of the list

Question 18

What is some evidence for forgetting

Answer 18

McGeoch & McDonald(1931):
Evidence has shown that the more similar the interference is to the words being remembered the worse the recall is .

Question 19

What does the are the problems with the Decay Theory:

Answer 19

Its impossible to test

Question 20

What evidence is there to suggest that info is lost from the sensory memory through the process of decay?

Answer 20

Sperling (1960)

Question 21

What does Murdock’s research ( 1962) support?

Answer 21

The idea of forgetting due to displacement from STM but it could be due to decay

Question 22

What reasons could forgetting in the STM occur?

Answer 22

-Displacement
- Decay

Question 23

What are some problems with the interference theory?

Answer 23

• The theory tells us little about the cognitive processes involved in forgetting
• Majority of the research has occurred in a lab which means that it would not happen in everyday life so has a low ecological validity
• It is not possible to generalize from the findings

Question 24

What is the lack of consolidation?

Answer 24

The research involved in consolidation shows us that memory relies on biological processes, even though the exact manner by which neurons are altered during the formation of new memories has not yet been fully explained

Question 25

What does Godden and Baddely’s research suggest?

Answer 25

Cues can affect the recall of information. This strengthens the theory

Question 26

What are some weakness of Godden and Baddeley’s research?

Answer 26

• Lacks ecological validity

Question 27

What are some strengths of Godden and Baddeley’s research?

Answer 27

• Supported Research
• Practical application