Interference Theory

• What does interference theory suggest about forgetting?


  It suggests that two pieces of information conflict in our minds.
• What are the two types of interference in interference theory?

  • Proactive Interference (PI): Old information interferes with new information.
  • Retroactive Interference (RI): New information interferes with old information.
• What is an example of proactive interference?


  Lucy learns French and then learns Spanish, mistakenly recalling the French word for dog.
• How does retroactive interference occur?


  New information interferes with the recall of old information.
• What is an example of retroactive interference?


  James learns a new bank pin and forgets his original pin.
• What was the aim of the McGeoch & McDonald lab experiment?


  • To investigate the effects of similarity on memory recall.
  • Participants learned a list of words and then a new list before recalling the first list.
• How many groups of participants were involved in the McGeoch & McDonald experiment?


  Six groups
• What types of new lists were given to the groups in the McGeoch & McDonald experiment?


  1. Synonyms (similar words)
  2. Antonyms (opposite words)
  3. Consonant syllables
  4. Three-digit numbers
  5. Random words
  6. Control group (no new list)
• Which group produced the worst recall ability in the McGeoch & McDonald experiment?


  Group with synonyms
• Why did synonyms produce the worst recall ability?


  Because the similarity of the words caused memory interference.
• What did Baddeley & Hitch's study on rugby players demonstrate about interference?


  • Rugby players who played more matches had poorer recall of teams.
  • This suggests that newer teams interfered with their memory of older teams.
• What was the main finding of Tulving & Psotka's study regarding interference?


  Participants struggled to recall words until the theme was revealed, indicating they didn't forget the information.
• What were the four groups in Cooenen & Luijtelaar's drug study?


  1. Drug (diazepam) during learning
  2. Placebo before learning
  3. Drug (diazepam) after learning
  4. Placebo after learning
• What was the effect of taking diazepam during the learning phase in Cooenen & Luijtelaar's study?


  Participants had poorer recall of the words.
• When did participants have the best recall in Cooenen & Luijtelaar's study?


  When they took the drug after learning the words.
• What did the drug do to the new information in Cooenen & Luijtelaar's study?


  It blocked out the new information, reducing interference.