Forgetting

• What are the two explanations of forgetting?

  • Interference
  • Retrieval failure
• Define interference

  • A type of forgetting where one memory disrupts another.
  • Results in the forgetting of one or both, or causing memories to be distorted.
• When is interference the strongest?

  • When two memories are similar
• What are the two types of inference?

  • Proactive interference (PI)
  • Retroactive interference (RI)
• What is proactive interference?

  • When an older memory interferes with a new one
  • For example, calling your new SO by your ex's name
• What is retroactive interference?

  • When a new memory interferes with an old one.
  • For example, a teacher saying a new students name to an older student.
• Explain why interference is strongest when two memories are similar.

  • With proactive interference, previously stored information makes new information harder to store.
  • With retro interference, new information overwrites similar older memories due to the similarity.
• Evaluate interference

  McGeoch & McDonald

  • Gave ppts a list of 10 words until they could remember them with 100% accuracy.
  • They were then asked to learn a new list which was varied, some were synonyms or unrelated words or digits.
  • They found that participants who had learnt a list of synonyms had the worst recall.
  • Artificial study so lacks ecological validity
• What is retrieval failure?

  • A form of forgetting that occurs when we don't have the necessary cues to access a memory
• What is a cue?

  • A trigger of information that allows us to access a memory.
• What does the encoding specificity principle (ESP) propose?

  • Proposes that when we learn the information, we also encode the context (external cues) in which we learn the information and the mental state we are in (internal cues).
  • These can act as cues to recall.
• What are the two types of cues?

  • Context dependent forgetting
  • State dependent forgetting
• What is context dependent forgetting?

  • Can occur when the environment during recall is different from the environment you were in when you were learning
  • E.g. Having a room swap one lesson and ending up in a new room and then not being able to remember an answer to a question you learnt last lesson
• Who conducted research into context-dependent forgetting?

  • Godden & Baddeley
• What was the procedure of research into context-dependent forgetting?

  • Deep sea divers were given either a learned list of words underwater or on land and were then asked to recall underwater or on land 

  4 conditions:

  • Learn on land recall on land
  • Learn on land recall in water
  • Learn in water recall in water
  • Learn in water recall on land
• What fightings of research into context dependent forgetting?

  • Accurate recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions & ppts with matched conditions performed better
• What is state-dependent forgetting?

  • Occurs when your mood or physiological state during recall is different from the mood you were in when you were leaning.
  • e.g. putting you keys somewhere while you were drunk, forgetting where you put them when sober, then remembering where they are when drunk again.
• Who conducted research into state-dependent forgetting?

  • Carter & Cassaday
• What were the procedures of research into state dependent forgetting?

  • Gave antihistamines (hay fever drugs) that create a mild sedative effect that make people drowsy
  • Ppts had to learn a list of words and then recall 

  4 conditions:

  • Learn on drug recall on drug
  • Learn on drug recall in normal state
  • Learn in normal state recall in normal state
  • Learn in normal state recall on drug
• What were the findings of research into state dependent forgetting?

  • Mismatched conditions caused ppts to perform significantly worse on recall tests
• Evaluate retrieval failure

  Research support from Godden & Baddeley

  • Environmental difference needs to be extreme for forgetting to occur.
  • Lacks ecological validity.