Interference

• What is Interference?

  Forgetting because one memory blocks another causing one or both to become distorted or forgotten
• What is Proactive Interference?

  Older memories disrupt the recall of newer memories. Forgetting is worse when memories are similar
• What is Retroactive Interference?

  Newer memories disrupts older memories. Forgetting is worse when memories are similar
• Research Support for Retroactive Interference: McGeoch and McDonald

  • Changed the amount of similarity between 2 lists that participants had to recall
  • 6 groups with different lists : Synonyms, antonyms, unrelated words, consonant syllables, 3 digit numbers and control group that had no list
  • When PPs had to recall synonyms they had the worst recall supporting the idea interference is worse when words are similiar
• Evaluation: Real World Application

  • Baddeley and Hitch asked rugby players to recall the names of teams they had played against previously
  • The players that had been at the most games had the poorest recall
  • This increases the validity of the theory
• Counterpoint to Interference

  • Interference is unusual
  • McGeoch and McDonald did a controlled lab study which doesn't truly show the effect of interference in everyday life
  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Forgetting may be better explained by retrieval failure due to a lack of cues
• Interference: Support from Drug Studies

  • Researchers gave PPs a drug while having to learn a list and recall a week later was poor compared to the control group
  • But when they learned the list before taking the drug, recall a week later was better than the control group
  • The drug improved recall of material
  • The drug prevents new information reaching parts of the brain involved in processing memories so it cannot interfere with information already stored
  • Forgetting can be due to interference
• Limitation of Interference: Cues

  • Interference is temporary and can be overcome by cues
  • Tulving gave PPs a list of words and recall was 70% but as more lists were added recall got worse
  • At the end the PPs were given a cued recall test and recall rose to 70% again
  • Interference may cause a temporary loss of accessibility to material