Theories Of Forgetting Flashcards
What is proactive interference (PI)?
PI occurs when an older memory disrupts a newer memory.
What is retroactive interference (RI)?
RI occurs when a new memory disrupts an old memory.
When is interference worst?
When memories are similar.
What was the procedure of McGeosh and McDonalds study on IT?
Participants had to learn a list of 10 words to 100% accuracy.
They were then given a second list of words to learn, of which there were 6 groups:
1) synonyms
2) antonyms
3) unrelated words
4)consonant syllables
5) 3 digit numbers
6) no new words (control group)
What were the findings of McGeosh and McDonalds study on IT?
Performance depended on the nature of the second list. The most similar material (synonyms) produced the worst recall.
What were the conclusions of McGeosh and McDonalds study on IT?
Interference is strongest when memories are similar.
Semantically similar words are harder to remember and cause more interference than no interference or random interference.
Strengths of interference theory
Support from real world situations: Baddely and Hitch asked rugby players to recall the names of the teams they played against during a season. Those who played more games had worse recall (due to more interference).
Evidence from lab studies such as McGeoch and McDonalds study.
Limitations of interference theory
Evidence from lab studies is artificial: studies such as McGeosh and McDonalds have been criticised to lack ecological validity, because remembering consonant syllables is not the same as remembering names or birthdays in real life.
Time between learning: in lab studies, experimenters attempt to maximise interference, for example making the time between recall very short. This is not reflective of real life.
What is retrieval failure (RF)?
Tulving (1971) argued that we forget due to insufficient cues (cue dependant forgetting).
What is Encoding Specificity Principle?
The greater the similarity between the encoding event and the retrieval event, the greater the likelihood of recalling the original memory.
What is context dependant forgetting ?
Recall depends on an external cue e.g where you are, or the weather
What is state dependant forgetting?
Recall depends on an internal cue e.g. being drunk or feeling stressed
Outline the procedure of Godden and Baddeley’s context dependant forgetting study
Scuba divers learnt a list of words and were asked to recall them in different conditions.
Condition 1: learnt on land and recall on land
Condition 2: learnt on land and recall underwater
Condition 3: learnt underwater and recall on land
Condition 4: learnt underwater and recall underwater
Outline the findings of Godden and Baddeley’s context dependant forgetting study
Accurate recall was 40% lower in mismatched conditions.
Outline the conclusions of Godden and Baddeley’s context dependant forgetting study
Retrieval failure was due to a lack of context dependant cues (the environment they were in changed) so the material became less accessible.
Outline the procedure of Carter and Cassaday’s state dependant forgetting study
Participants learnt a list of words and were later asked to recall them in certain conditions:
Condition 1: learnt on land on drug and recall on drug
Condition 2: learnt on drug and recall not on drug
Condition 3: learn not on drug and recall on drug
Condition 4: learn not on drug and recall not on drug
Outline the findings of Carter and Cassaday’s state dependant forgetting study
Recall was worst in mismatched conditions
Outline the conclusions of Carter and Cassaday’s state dependant forgetting study
When cues during encoding are not present during recall (use of drugs) then forgetting is higher
Strength of retrieval failure theory
Real world applications: improve eye witness recall and can help with revising
Impressive range of supporting eveidence: Carter and Cassaday’s study and Godden and Baddeley’s study.
Limitations of retrieval failure theory
Context effects may vary: Godden and Baddeley’s findings have been found to have less of an effect on recognition tasks to recall tasks.
Supporting research lacks ecological validity: both Carter and Cassaday’s study and Godden and Baddaleye’s study are done in srtificial settings where participants knew they were being studied. This could have led to demand characteristics effecting their behaviour and recall. The tasks were also artificial as they just had to learn a word list.
Experiments were controlled so can be replicated making them reliable.
