Explanations for forgetting - interference

• What is forgetting defined as?

  A person's loss of the ability to recall or recognize something previously learned.
• How does interference explain forgetting?

  Interference explains forgetting as one memory disrupting the ability to recall another memory.
• When does interference usually occur?

  When there is a similarity between two memories.
• What are the two types of interference?

  • Proactive interference
  • Retroactive interference
• What is proactive interference?

  Proactive interference occurs when older memories disrupt the recall of newer memories.
• What is retroactive interference?

  Retroactive interference occurs when newer memories disrupt the recall of older memories.
• How does the similarity of memories affect recall?

  The more similar the new material is to the original, the greater the interference and the poorer the recall.
• What is an example of proactive interference in everyday life?

  Changing your phone number and struggling to remember the new one due to the old number.
• What is a strength of interference theory?

  There is substantial evidence supporting interference theory from many lab experiments.
• What is a limitation of the research on interference theory?

  The use of artificial materials, such as meaningless word lists, may exaggerate the effects of interference.
• Why might the tasks given to participants in interference studies reduce the likelihood of interference?

  Because the tasks are close to each other, which means the effects of events are more spaced out.
• What did Baddeley & Hitch (1977) find in their study on rugby players?

  • Players who played more games had poorer recall of team names.
  • Forgetting was due more to the number of intervening games than the passage of time.
  • This supports interference theory.
• What does interference theory explain about forgetting?

  Interference theory explains that it only accounts for some types of forgetting.