explanations for forgetting

• What is forgetting defined as?

  Failure to retrieve memories
• What does interference explain in the context of forgetting?

  Confusion caused by similar material
• What are the two types of interference affecting recall?

  Proactive and Retroactive interference
• What is proactive interference?

  • Works forward in time
  • Old information disrupts new recall
  • Example: old phone number affects new number
• What is retroactive interference?

  • Works backwards in time
  • New information disrupts old recall
  • Example: new car registration affects old one
• What is retrieval failure due to absence of cues?

  • Forgetting due to lack of accessibility
  • No meaningful link to retrieve information
• Who demonstrated the value of retrieval cues?

  Tulving and Pearlstone
• What were the results of Tulving and Pearlstone's study?

  40% free recall, 60% cued recall
• What is context-dependent forgetting?

  • Lack of environmental cues
  • Recall is better when context matches learning
• Who investigated contextual cues with scuba divers?

  Godden and Baddeley
• What were the four conditions in Godden and Baddeley's study?

  Learn and recall on land or underwater
• What did Godden and Baddeley find about recall performance?

  Best recall when learning and recall contexts matched
• What is state-dependent forgetting?

  • Lack of internal cues
  • Recall is better when internal state matches learning
• Who conducted the study on state-dependent forgetting?

  Carter and Cassaday
• What was the effect of anti-histamines in Carter and Cassaday's study?

  Created a different internal physiological state
• What was the result of mismatched internal states in Carter and Cassaday's study?

  Significantly worse performance on memory test
• What is interference?


  • when two pieces of information disrupt each other resulting in the forgetting of one or both
• Memories stored in long term memory can't be accessed even though they are still available
• Interference is worse when memories are similar
• McGeoch and McDonald

  • gave participants a list of 10 words to memorise
  • when they could accurately recall they were given a second list of words
  • each group was given a different list
  • the group with the new list with similar words had the worst recall of the original list
• Explanations of effects of similarity:

  • proactive interference - old information makes new similar information more difficult to store
  • retroactive interference - new information overtakes old similar memories