Forgetting Flashcards
Explanations for forgetting: interference & retrieval failure (18 cards)
What is proactive interference?
Proactive interference occurs when old information stored in LTM interferes with the learning of new information.
Provide an example of proactive interference.
An example is when you get a new phone number; your memory for your old number disrupts your attempts to remember your new number.
What was the aim of Keppel & Underwood (1962)?
To investigate the effect of proactive interference on LTM.
Describe the method used in Keppel & Underwood’s (1962) experiment.
Participants were presented with meaningless three-letter consonant trigrams at different intervals and had to count backwards in threes before recalling.
What were the results of Keppel & Underwood’s (1962) study?
Participants typically remembered the trigrams shown first, regardless of the interval length.
What conclusion did Keppel & Underwood (1962) draw from their results?
The results suggest proactive interference occurred, as memory for earlier consonants interfered with memory for new consonants.
What limitation does Keppel & Underwood’s (1962) research have regarding real-world application?
It is a very specific type of forgetting and cannot explain forgetting in other situations.
How does Keppel & Underwood’s (1962) research lack ecological validity?
The research was carried out under lab conditions, which do not represent everyday examples of interference.
What is retroactive interference?
Retroactive interference occurs when the learning of new information interferes with the recall of old information from LTM.
Provide an example of retroactive interference.
Once you have learned your new phone number, it is difficult to recall your old one.
What was the aim of Baddeley & Hitch (1977)?
To investigate retroactive memory in everyday memory.
Describe the method used in Baddeley & Hitch’s (1977) study.
Rugby union players were asked to recall the names of teams they had played against earlier in the season.
What were the results of Baddeley & Hitch’s (1977) study?
Players who had played the most games forgot proportionally more games than those who had played fewer due to injury.
What conclusion did Baddeley & Hitch (1977) draw from their study?
This was the result of retroactive interference, as learning new information interfered with memory of old information.
What did McGeoch and McDonald (1931) find regarding retroactive interference?
Recall was worse when lists A and B were closest in similarity, supporting the idea of retroactive interference.
What limitation do the findings of Baddeley & Hitch and Keppel & Underwood have regarding generalizability?
Different people may have different memory strengths, making it less generalizable.
True or False: The findings from Keppel & Underwood and McGeoch & McDonald represent everyday examples of interference.
False.
What is a common limitation in the research on interference explanations for forgetting?
Many studies were carried out under lab conditions, limiting their ecological validity.
