Forgetting Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is interference?
-The ways in which information is lost from long-term memory
-It is when one memory prevents the retrieval of another memory; it gets in the way
-Interference can occur when learning or memories are similar
What is retroactive interference
This is when a new memory interferes with an old memory
Retro: Backward/the past-previous memory is lost due to the new memory
Example: You forget your old phone number as the new number has replaced it
What is proactive interference?
This is when an old memory interferes with a new memory
Pro: Forward - you cannot access the new memory as the old one is still dominant
Example: You struggle to learn Spanish as you get muddled with previously learnt French vocabulary.
What was Postman’s research support?
Postman (1960) - learning items in a second list interfered with participants’ ability to recall the first list i.e. retroactive interference
What was the Baddeley and Hitches research support?
Baddeley and Hitch (1977) - rugby players who had played every game were more likely to forget matches: the later games had interfered with a recall of the earlier matches i.e. retroactive interference
What was mcgeoch and mcdonalds research evidence?
McGeoch and McDonald (1931) - participants who were given synonyms had the worst recall as it was likely the memory for the original list had not been interfered with i.e. interference is more likely to occur when memories are similar
Evaluation of postmans research?
-Carried out in a lab so lack ecological validity but it can be easily replicated
Evaluation of McGeoch and Mcdonald
-Lab so lacks ecological validity but can be easily replicable
-May lack temporal validity and cannot account for the role taken by technology in how we remember information.
Evaluation of Baddeley and Hitch
-Used real situations and memories of actual games so this is high in ecological validity and accounts for time taken between learning
What is cue dependent retrieval failure?
Cue-dependent retrieval failure happens when you cannot access a memory in LTM as there are no cues to help you
A cue is any stimulus which can prompt a memory
e.g The smell of cleaning fluid - Smells just like my primary school did at home time
What is ESP(Encoding specificity principle)?
Tulving, 1983) states that:
cues must be present when the memory is encoded
e.g. the smell of cleaning fluid detected whilst running down the corridor at the end of the school day
so that the same smell years later will trigger the memory (retrieval)
What happens if cues at coding are not available?
Forgetting may happen, for example:
I am trying to remember who my sixth-form boyfriend was but I just can’t recall his name - without the cue of the red leather jacket the memory (of Bruiser, lovely guy) cannot be retrieved
What was Baddeley and Godden research support on context dependent forgetting?
-Baddeley and Godden (1975) devised an unusual, ‘one-of-a-kind’ type of experiment which investigated the difference between learning and recalling material either on land or underwater:
-The researchers aimed to investigate whether memory was better for words learned and recalled in the same environment or in different environments (context being land or water)
-The sample comprised 18 participants (13 males and 5 females) from a university diving club, who were divided into four conditions:
1) learning words on land/recalling on land
2) learning words on land/recalling underwater
3) learning underwater/recalling underwater
4) learning underwater/recalling on land
What was the design used for the Baddeley and Gooden experiment?
Repeated measure design as each participant took part in all four conditions over four separate days.
What were the results of the Baddeley and Gooden experiment?
The results showed that words learned underwater were better recalled underwater and words learned on land were better recalled on land
In short, context is key for retrieval to happen, the flip side of which is that without the right context for retrieval forgetting is more likely
What was Carter and Cassady’s state dependent forgetting experiment?
Carter & Cassaday (1998) devised (another interesting) experiment on how a person’s state (e.g. emotional, drunk, drugged, ill) is a factor in forgetting:
The researchers aimed to investigate recall using anti‐histamine drugs i.e. would the sedative (sleepy) effect of the drug be needed for retrieval?
Participants learnt a list of words from a text and then recalled the information at a later point
There were four conditions:
1) learning + anti‐histamine/recall + anti‐histamine
2) learning without anti‐histamine/recalling without anti‐histamine
3) learning + anti‐histamine/recalling without anti‐histamine
4) learning without anti‐histamine/recall + anti‐histamine
What were the results of the Carter and Cassaday experiment?
The results showed that memory was better when learning and recall state matched (e.g. learning/recalling + anti-histamine); forgetting occurred more when the states did not match (e.g. learning + anti-histamine/recalling without)
In short, if the physical/psychological/emotional state someone is in when they learn information is replicated then memory is likely to be better than when the states differ
