interference

• what is interference

  when one memory prevents the retrieval of another
• what are the two types of interference


  - proactive

  - retroactive
• retroactive interference

  - NEW memory affects OLD memory

  - e.g forgot your old phone number ; the new one replaced it
• proactive interference


  - OLD memory affects NEW memory

  - e.g learning Spanish but mixing it up with your already learnt french vocab
• postman (1960)

  - Learning items in a second list interfered with the participants ability to recall the first list = retroactive interference

  - carried out in a lab therefore lacks ecological validity but is reliable; can easily be replicated
• Baddeley and Hitch (1977)


  - Rugby players who have played every game were more likely to forget matches; latest games interfered with the recall of the earlier matches

  - carried out in a lab therefore lacks ecological validity but is reliable; can easily be replicated
• McGeoch and McDonald (1931)


  - discovered that PI and RI is worse when memories or content is similar

  - ptts had to learn a list of 10 words and then another list

  - there were six groups w/ diff types of list

  - due to PI = previosly stored infor makes new info difficult to store

  - due to RI = new info overwrites previous similar memories due to its similarity