Topic 4: Explanations of Forgetting Flashcards
what are the two types of interference
proactive and retroactive
what are the two explanations of forgetting
- Interference theory
- retrieval failure due to absence of cues
what is proactive interference
when previous memories interfere with recent similar memories
what is retroactive interference
when recent memories interfere with previous similar memories
what does PORN stand for
P - Proactive
O - Old replaces new
R - Retroactive
N - New replaces old
evaluate research to support the interference theory
P. there is a lot of research to support the idea that interferences causes types of forgetting
E. Underwood (1957) showed that the more nonsense syllable word lists his students previously learnt, the more forgetting of new nonsense syllables was after 24 hours
E. this is an example of proactive interference
L. illustrates how proactive and retroactive interference can clearly lead to memory loss
evaluate the artificial research which supports the interference theory
P. one problem is that a lot of the research supporting the theory comes from artificial lab experiments
E. memorising nonsense syllables is unrealistic and would never happen in real life
E. it doesn’t reflect memory loss that we experience in real life
L. this reduces its ecological validity
evaluate the face validity of the interference theory
P. it is support by our everyday experiences
E. eg learning to drive an automatic car after driving a manual car can impact the driving
E. the previous memory of using the clutch and gears interferes with the new memory
L. interference theory has face validity as we do mix up old and new memory
evaluate the theoretical flaws of the interference theory
P. can be considered reductionist - fails to consider other valid explanations of forgetting
E. eg forgetting due to absence of cues
E. extensive research to support that forgetting occurs due to lack of cues during recall
L. means interference offers an incomplete example of forgetting
evaluate the practical applications of the interference theory
P. there are good practical applications
E. helps us explain and prevent forgetting of revision notes
E. may cause interference when studying similar subjects
L. interference theory has a positive tangible effect in society such as benefitting the education system
what is retrieval failure
forgetting happens because cues aren’t available for recall that were present during encoding
what is Tulving’s Encoding Specificity Principle
the greater the dissimilarity between the encoding event and retrieval event, the greater the likelihood of forgetting an original memory
what are the types of cues
context, state, organisational
what are context cues
occurs when the external environment is different at recall to how it was during encoding
eg location
what are state cues
occurs when the internal environment is different at recall to how it was during encoding
eg food mood stress anxiety
evaluate research of retrieval failure
P. there is research to support the retrieval failure theory
E. Baker et al (2004)
E. found that recall was best when state cues were present at both encoding and recall
L. illustrates that cues are important for memory recall
evaluate theoretical flaws of retrieval failure
P. only offers an explanation of some situations when people forget
E. doesn’t explain repression
E. implies there are alternative theories for forgetting
L. cannot rely on this single theory to explain all incidences of forgetting
evaluate the face validity of retrieval failure
P. can explain everyday experiences of forgetting - ‘tip of tongue’
E. when we know something but cannot ‘find it’ to verbalise
L. means information is encoded but not available without right cues to recall
evaluate the practical applications of retrieval failure
P. has good practical applications and can help explain and prevent forgetting
E. context dependant forgetting suggests useful ways of jogging peoples memory
E. eg crimes - cognitive interview
L. RF theory has been useful to society
evaluate further research of retrieval failure
P. research to support
E. Godden and baddeley (1974)
E. researchers found that participants who learned and were tested in same environment had better recall
L. implies that this research evidence adds credibility
