Forgetting and Interference theory

Question 1

What is forgetting?

Answer 1

-failure to retrieve memories from the long-term store, essentially memory is some way ‘lost’.

Question 2

what may forgetting be due to?

Answer 2

lack of Accessibility

Question 3

what can forgetting in the long-term memory be due to?

Answer 3

interference and or retrieval failure

Question 4

What is the interference theory?

Answer 4

-forgetting in the LTM can occur through this
-It is when one set of information competes with another, causing it to be confused in the LTM
-Forgetting through interferent is more likely when the two sets of information are similar
-Forgetting through interference is more likely to occur when there’s a short time gap between the instances of learning

Question 5

What two types of interference?

Answer 5

Proactive, interference, and retroactive interference

Question 6

what is proactive interference?

Answer 6

-When Previous information competes with new information, so the new information is forgotten
e.g. You get a new mobile phone and you give someone your old number instead of your new one as the previous information out competes, the new information information.

Question 7

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 7

when recent information competes with old information, so the old information is forgotten
e.g. you learn French at GCSE, then learn Spanish at A-level and find that the recent Spanish words outcompetes the old French word