Old information interferes with the learning of new info
usually occurs when info is similar to the old information
Keppel & Underwood - proactive
Method: participants were presented with meaningless three‐letter consonant trigrams at different intervals (3, 6, 9 seconds, etc.) To prevent rehearsal the participants had to count backwards in threes before recalling.
Results: Participants typically remembered the trigrams that were presented first, irrespective of the interval length
Retroactive interference
Learning of new info interferes with recall of old info
Baddeley & Hitch - retroactive
Method: sample of rugby union players who had played every match in the season and players who had missed some games due to injury. The length of time from the start to the end of the season was the same for all players, and players were asked to recall the names of the teams they had played against earlier in the season
Results: The players who had played the most games forgot proportionately more games than those who
