types of forgetting and ewt Flashcards
what is forgetting
loss of the ability to recall or recognise something that has been previously learned
what are the 2 types of interference
retroactive and proactive
what is proactive interference
is when and old or previous memory/learning prevents recall of more recent information
what is retroactive interference
is when new/recent information prevents recall of previously learned information
what are limitations of interference theory (2)
supporting evidence is lab based wmt it is artificial + low mundane realism + low ecological validity
only explains some forgetting when memories are similar or competing
when 2 memories are more similar…..
the more likely interference will occur
why does interference occur
competition between correct and incorrect responses. it is the strength of the incorrect response that appears to result in interference rather than the weakness of the correct response
what is retrieval failure
when information is available but cannot be recalled because of the absence of appropriate cues
what is a cue
something that is linked to a memory that triggers recall by enabling us access to that memory
forgetting in ltm is thought to be largely due to a
lack of accessibility rather than a lack of availability
what are the 2 categories of types of cues
external (context) and internal
what are the 2 types of external cues
explicit cues linked to learning material
environmental context
what is an example of explicit cues linked to learning material
names of categories as a prompt
what is an example of an environmental cue
where you were when you learned the information
what is the 1 type of internal cue
emotional/ psychological or physiological state
example of psychological and physiological state
psych: relaxed or anxious
phys: drunk or sober
what does the encoding specificity principal support and who by
an explanation of retrieval failure (by tulving and thomson)
what did tulving suggest (ESP)
that forgetting occurs when there is a poor match of fit between the information contained in the memory trace and the cues available at the time of attempted retrieval.
according to the ESP when we
acquire memories we encode them with links to other information which existed at the time of acquisition. and this can act as a cue
def of ewt
evidence given by a witness to a significant event
errors can occur in
ANY stage of memory: acquisition/encoding, storage, retrieval
what is reconstructive memory
refers to a memory distorted by the individuals prior knowledge and expectations
