Ch. 4 - Forgetting sac study

Question 1

What is a retrieval cue?

Answer 1

any stimulus that assists in locating and receiving info stored in your memory eg. sound, smell

Question 2

What is an example of interference theory?

Answer 2

if you learnt to speak Italian in primary school and then french in High school, it might be difficult to access the Italian words

Question 3

What are the two forms of interference?

Answer 3

• retroactive interference (going backwards)

- proactive interference (PON)

Question 4

What is retroactive interference? plus eg

Answer 4

interference goes backwards, causing difficulty with retrieval of info learn in the past (eg. learning new students names interferes with a teachers recall of previous students names)

Question 5

How can you avoid retroactive interference?

Answer 5

• reduce the number of interfering events by going to sleep shortly after you learn new info
• the hour before going to sleep is a good time to commit info to memory

Question 6

What is proactive interference? plus e.g.

Answer 6

P - previous info
O - obstructs
N - new

eg. learning a new dance routine then the instructor makes a change to the routine, you may find that you keep performing the old steps instead of the new

Question 7

What is motivated forgetting? (2)

Answer 7

• we forget info because it is threatening to us in some way

- blocking traumatic or painful info from conscious mind

Question 8

what is an example of repression?

Answer 8

returned soldiers who do not remember some of the horrors they witnessed during combat (can be retrieved later by a cue)

Question 9

What is an example of suppression?

Answer 9

tripping down the stairs, later your friends want to relieve the moment, you ask them not to mention it and you try to forget it

Question 10

what are limitations of the theory of motivated forgetting?

Answer 10

• there might be other reasons for memory loss, such as blow to the head
• remembering traumatic memories may help us to learn from our mistakes, so blocking them does not enhance chances of survival

Question 11

what is a limitation of the decay theory?

Answer 11

does not explain why some memories formed long ago can still be recalled

Question 12

What is 1 strength and 2 limitations of the forgetting curve?

Answer 12

• supports idea that slow and fast learners tend to forget at the same rate
• when info is meaningful forgetting occurs more slowly
• when recalling the syllables proactive interference may have occurred

Question 13

What are the three measures of retention from least sensitive to most sensitive?

Answer 13

recall (least sensitive)
recognition
re-learning (most sensitive)

Question 14

what are the 3 types of recall? (least sensitive at producing info)

Answer 14

free recall - no cues
cued recall - some cues
serial recall - have to recall in order with no cues

Question 15

what is recognition plus a limitation of this?

Answer 15

when you identify the correct info from a list of possible alternatives (downside can just guess)
eg. multiple choice

Question 16

what is relearning?

Answer 16

previously learnt info that can not be recalled is relearned faster than when first learnt initially
(most sensitive because demonstrates that some info is retained in memory even if we think there is none)

Question 17

what is savings score used for?

Answer 17

to help us determine how much info was retained or ‘saved’ from the first time

Question 18

what is the formula for savings score?

Answer 18

savings score = time/trials of original learning - time/trials to relearn divided by time/trials of original learning x 100

Question 19

what are context-dependent cues?

Answer 19

environmental - present in the environment that matches learning/encoding which actes as a prompt to remember eg. environmental cues in our class

Question 20

what are state-dependent cues?

Answer 20

internal - relate to your physical and psychological state which acts as a prompt to remember eg. emotion affects retrieval

Question 21

what are the 3 types of mnemonic devices?

Answer 21

acronyms
acrostics
narrative chaining

Question 22

What are acronyms? plus eg

Answer 22

pronounceable word where the letters act as a retrieval cue for each word to be remembered eg. ‘LOL’ = laugh our loud (pronounceable word)

Question 23

what are acrostics? eg

Answer 23

a phrase or rhyme where the first letter of each word acts as a retrieval cue for the words (to recall things in order) eg. “never eat socky weatbix” = north south east west (phrase not word)

Question 24

what is narrative chaining?

Answer 24

a story that you create to link pieces of info together eg. guys in video imagine collecting items as they walk through their house

Question 25

what did elizabeth lotus find? (2)

Answer 25

research on eye witness testimony: - leading questions on car accident resulted in altered memories (speed if said 'smash' vs. 'connected') - leadings questions include an assumption e.g. "how fast was the car going when it ran the red light?" relies on the assumption there was a red light - links to consolidation theory (memory coming back into STM, so vulnerable again)

Question 26

what where the findings of Ebbinghaus with the forgetting curve?

Answer 26

rate - forgetting initially rapid then slows gradually over time amount - more than 50% memory loss occurs within first hour

Question 27

what is the retrieval failure theory?

Answer 27

we forget because the right cue is not present (usually temporary)

Question 28

which out of supression and repression is motivated?

Answer 28

R - repression U - unconsious S - suppression C - conscious

Question 29

what is the decay theory?

Answer 29

if the neural pathway that stores the memory trace is not frequently activated the memory circuit begins to b