Explanations For Forgetting

Question 1

Proactive interference

Answer 1

• old info interferes with the learning of new info
• especially when old info is similar to new info
  E.g. memory of old phone number effects ability to remember new number

Question 2

Keppel & Underwood - study on proactive interference on LTM

Answer 2

Method -> pts count backwards in threes before recalling trigrams in different time intervals

Results -> pts remembered the trigrams presented first, irrespective of interval length

Conclusion -> proactive interference occurred, info was similar (trigrams) old info effected new

Question 3

Retroactive interference

Answer 3

• learning of new info interferes with the recall of old info from LTM
  E.g. once you’ve leaned new number, hard to recall old number

Question 4

Baddely & Hitch - study on retroactive interference in everyday memory

Answer 4

Method -> one group (rugby players who played every game vs players who missed some), asked to recall the names of the teams they played against earlier in the season.

Results -> players who played most games forgot more games than the players with fewer games

Conclusion -> leaning of new info (team mates) effected old info (earlier team mates)

Question 5

Evaluate the interference theories

Answer 5

• research support; another study - 2 lists A + B, had to recall A then given B and learn B then recall A again — found that recall was worse when lists A + B were more similar (retroactive interference)
• only explains a specific type of forgetting; M for similar info. Therefore limited real world application as both studies on interference only look at similar sounds / visual things
• artificial / lacking ecological validity - carried out in a lab, trigrams artificial - limited application

Question 6

Retrieval failure due to absence of cues

Answer 6

• memory is most effective when info that was present at the time of coding is also present at the time of retrieval
• suggested that environmental and mental cues aid recall
  Environmental = room where you learn info
  Mental = emotional state

2 types of retrieval failure:
Context -dependent = occurs when env cues are missing
State - dependent = occurs when emotional state is different when recalling info

Question 7

Context - dependant forgetting - Godden & Baddley

Answer 7

Aim -> effect of contextual cues on recall

Method -> 4 conditions: learning words on land + recalling on land, learning words on land + recalling underwater, learning underwater + recalling underwater, learning underwater + recalling on land.

Results -> words learned underwater better recalled underwater and same for land

Conclusion -> environmental cues important for recall

Question 8

Evaluate context - dependent forgetting

Answer 8

• Godden + Baddely; poor control variables: different diving locations + time of day (contextual cues)
• Godden + Baddely; possible demand characteristics or order effects by pts - extreme situation diving underwater, small sample size
• ethical guidelines; diving, loss of oxygen,

Question 9

State - dependent forgetting - Carter & Cassaday

Answer 9

Aim -> state D.F using anti-histamine drugs, used for sedating effect

Procedure -> pts learn list of words and recall info at later point, some had histamine some didn’t

Findings -> in conditions where the learning + recalling state (histamine) matched memory improved

Conclusion -> when the physical / emotional cues that are present at the time of encoding are missing at the time of retrieval, state D.F is likely to occur

Question 10

Evaluating state - dependent forgetting

Answer 10

• research support for state D.F - Goodwin et al; remember list of words drunk or sober, better recall when learning words drunk recalling words drunk
• issues with determining the a cause + effect relationship between retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting - psychologist said that cues present do not cause the retrieval failure but are associated with it