Interference Theory

• One strength is that there is evidence of interference in real life settings. For example Baddelely & Hitch (1977) asked participants who had played a varying number of rugby union games to remember as many of the teams they had played against as possible. Interference theory was tested by assessing how recall was affected by the number of games played. It was found that forgetting was due more to the number of games played rather than the time passed between games, supporting interference theory.
• What is one weakness related to interference in memory recall?

  Some people are less affected by interference than others.
• What did Kane & Engle (2000) demonstrate regarding working memory span and proactive interference?

  Those with a greater working memory span are less susceptible to proactive interference.
• How did Kane & Engle (2000) test the effect of working memory span on proactive interference?

  They gave participants three lists of words to learn.
• What were the findings of Kane & Engle (2000) regarding participants with lower working memory spans?

  Participants with lower working memory spans showed signs of proactive interference when recalling the second and third lists.
• What does the study by Kane & Engle (2000) suggest about individual differences in memory recall?

  There are individual differences in susceptibility to interference.
• What is one weakness of the evidence supporting proactive and retroactive interference?

  The evidence comes mainly from laboratory experiments.
• Why are the stimulus materials used in laboratory experiments considered artificial?

  They consist of lists of unrelated words or nonsense syllables.
• How do the types of materials used in laboratory experiments differ from everyday memory tasks?

  Laboratory materials are very different from what individuals try to remember in everyday life.
• What might affect participants' motivation to remember information in a laboratory study?

  There is no consequence for forgetting the information.
• What does low ecological validity imply about the findings of interference theory research?

  It suggests that the findings cannot be generalized to real-life settings.