Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
What are the 2 main explanations for forgetting
+ summarise
- Interference - similar memories interfere, causing forgetting.
- Retrieval Failure - absence of cues leads to inability to recall information.
What are the 2 types of interference - give an example for each.
- Proactive interference - Previous memory intereferes with current memory
- E.g. Struggling to remember new phone number - old interfering
- Retroactive interference - Recently learn memory interferring with recall of past memory
- E.g. Forgetting how to play piano becuase recently learnt guitar.
More ……. information will cause greater interference.
More SIMILAR information will cause greater intereference.
1 Pro 2 cons of Interference (as an explanation for forgetting.)
Pro
* Real-world application in advertising (multiple regular exposures reduce interference of competitors)
Cons
* Reasearch into intereference Lacks mundane realism - Nonsense word list used in study.
* Individul differences impact studies - smaller working memory capacity increases intereference.
Define a cue and their role in retrieval failure
- Cues are a prompt that can help with memory retrieval.
- Absence of cues can limit/prevent recall of information.
What are the 2 types of cues?
Give an example for each
- External (context) cues
- e.g. same room learning + recall
- Interal (State) cues
- e.g. Drunk when learing + recall
What principle suggests that more similar cues (during learning and recall) will cause more recall?
Encoding specifity principle
2 Pros 1 con of Retrival failure (as an explanation for forgetting)
Pros
* Real world application - retrieval cues used in education system
* Retrival cues explain effect of interference - List study shows interfernece reduced with cues
Con
* Retrival cues don’t always work - complex infromation related to multiple factors - not just cues.