explanations for forgetting

• interference theory

  occurs when one memory disrupts our ability to recall another - most likely to occur when two memories are similar - Retroactive interference (occurs when newly learned information disrupts recall of older memories - later memory task interferes with recall of original associated memory) - proactive interference (older memories disrupt ability to learn and recall new information - original memory interferes with formation of new associated memory)
• EVALUATION INTERFERNECE - postman

  lab experiment, participants remembered list of paired words (cat - tree) - experimental group also had to learn another list of words where second word was different (cat - glass) - control group not given second list - all participants asked to recall words on first list - found recall of control group more accurate that experimental group - shows retroactive interference
• EVALUATION INTERFERENCE - Mcgeogh and McDonald

  found when participants learned word list with 100% accuracy and given new lists to memorise, more similar the new list was, poorer their recall was of original list - concluded even very strong memories can be disrupted by new learning if new learning is very similar - supports retroactive interference
• EVALUATION INTERFERENCE - Schmidt

  211 participants from Dutch elementary school ages 11-79 given map of Molenburg neighbourhood all 48 street names replaced with numbers and asked to remember as many as possible - other details collected by questionnaire like how many times they moved house - amount of retroactive interference measured by how many times they'd moved neighbourhoods - positive correlation between number of times participants moved and number of street names forgotten - supports retroactive interference
• EVALUATION INTERFERENCE - Underwood

  meta analysis - when participants have to learn series of word lists they don't learn lists given later on in series as well as ones earlier in series - concluded earlier word lists disputing learning of new words in later word list - supports proactive interference
• retrieval failure due to absence of cues

  occurs when a memory is available but we can't access it because we don't have the necessary triggers - we often code where we are at the time information learned (context) or how we felt (state) - context dependent forgetting (inability to retrieve memory due to absence of environmental triggers at time of retrieval) - state dependent forgetting (inability to retrieve memory due to being in a different mental state at the time of retrieval to who memory initially coded)
• EVALUATION RETRIEVAL FAILURE - Abernethy and Baddeley

  Abernethy found if participants learned information from an instructor in one room and then tested they forgot far more when tested in different room by different instructor - Baddeley found scuba divers who leaned a word list either on land or underwater forgot most when learning context didn't match retrieval context - supports context dependent forgetting
• EVALUATION RETRIEVAL FAILURE - practical application

  can be used to reduce forgetting in real world - Smith showed just thinking of the room where you did original learning (context reinstatement) was as effective as actually being in the room - might help people recall information more easily
• EVALUATION RETRIEVAL FAILURE - Goodwin

  male volunteers learned word list drunk or sober forgot more when learning state didn't match state of retrieval - concluded state dependent forgetting applies to degrees of intoxication as well as emotion - evidence from a variety of different states and supports state dependent forgetting
• EVALUATION RETRIEVAL FAILURE - Darley


  found participants who hid money high on marijuana less able to recall where money was when not high than when they were high again - support for state dependent forgetting