Interference

• Imterference

  If two memories compete with each other l, one memory may prevent us from accessing the other memory
• Aim

  McGeoch and McDonald aimed to see whether the accuracy of recalling a list of words would be affected by a competing set of words
• Method

  participants learned a list of 10 words then were shown a new list

  5 different new lists:

  1. Synonyms of the first list
  2. Antonyms of the first list
  3. Unrelated words
  4. Nonsense syllables
  5. Three digit numbers
  6. Or no new list
• Results

  When participants recalled the initial list, memory was affected by the new list

  The effect was strongest when the new list had words with similar meanings to the original list
• Conclusion

  Interference from a second set of information reduces the accuracy of memory

  Interference is strongest when the two sets of information are similar
• Evaluation

  Controlled research- Counterbalancing was used to reduce the impact that learning the lists in the same order would have on the results

  Artificial task- Does not reflect real life memory activity, conclusion is limited