Explanations for forgetting:interference

• interference happens when one memory disturbs the ability to recall another.Results in forgetting or distorting the other.
• Limitations of the interference theory include:

  -Interference may cause forgetting in everyday situations but is unusual. Unlike lab studies where researcher can create cond. for interference. 

  -interference is temporary and can be overcome by using cues. 

  Tilling and Psokta(1971) gave pps a list of words organised in categories, one list at a time. Recall was 70% for first but got worse as pps learned each additional list. Given a cue recall test at end, where they were told what the categories were ( rose to 70% again) 
• What did Wixted suggest about coenens and Luijtelaar study? 

  Suggests that the drug prevents new information reaching parts of the brain involved in processing memories, so it can’t interefere retroactively. 
• What was Coenens and Luijtelaar 97 study to support interferrence theory? 

   

  Gave pps a list of words and later asked them to recall the list assuming drug would be interference. Those who learnt under the affect of diazepam had a poor recall a week later( compared to control group) 

  Those who learned before diazepam had a better recall than control a week later. 
• What was Baddeleys and Hitch’s study to support interference theory? 

  Asked rugby players every team they have faced in a season. All players all played the same time interval, but number of intervening games varied as some missed a match due to injury. 

  Players who played the most games had poorest recall
• Give 2 strengths of interference theory 

  Evidence of interference in everyday situations. 

  Baddeley and Hitch (1977) 

  • evidence from drug studies( Coenen and van Luijtelaar 97’). 
• What were Mcgeouchs and McDonalds findings? 

  When the PPS were asked to recall the original list of words, synonyms produced the worst recall. Showing that interference is strongest when memories are similar. 
• What was Mcgeouch and Mcdonald method?

  All participants learned a list of ten adjectives perfectly. Participantswere then divided into groups(6) to learn a new list. 

  1. synonyms 

  2- antonyms 

  3- words unrelated to original

  4- consonant syllables

  5- 3 digit numbers 

  6- no new list
• What did McGeouch and Mcdonald do?

  conducted an experiment to study interference in LTM
• retroactive interference is when new information interferes with previously learnt ones(forgetting old).
• proactive interference is when previously learnt information interferes with new information you are trying to store(forgetting new)
• interference is more likely to happen when memories are more similar.