Forgetting - NO INTERFERENCE

Question 1

What are the two explanations for forgetting?

Answer 1

• Interference

- Retrieval failure

Question 2

What are the two types of interference?

Answer 2

• Proactive interference

- Retroactive interference

Question 3

What is proactive interference?

Answer 3

• Past memories affecting our ability to recall new ones.

Question 4

What is retroactive interference?

Answer 4

• Recent memories affecting our ability to recall old ones.

Question 5

Explain McGeoch and McDonald’s study on retroactive interference.

Answer 5

• Participants had to learn a list of 10 words until they could remember them with 100% accuracy.
• They then learnt a new list
• 6 conditions of synonyms, antonyms, unrelated words, nonsense syllables, three-digit numbers - the control group had no new list

Question 6

What did McGeoch and McDonald’s study find on retroactive interference

Answer 6

• The more similar the material was to the original list, the worse the recall was of the original list.
• This showed that interference is strongest when the memories are similar.

Question 7

What is retrieval failure?

Answer 7

• Forgetting due to an absence of cues

- the information is not lost but is inaccessible.

Question 8

What is a cue?

Answer 8

• Something associated with a memory which is stored at the same time
• acts as a trigger.

Question 9

Describe the Deep sea divers study on retrieval failure.

Answer 9

• Participants learnt a list of words and were asked to recall them, either:
• Same context (learnt list and recalled underwater).
• Same context (learnt list and recalled on land)
• Different context (learnt list underwater and recalled on land)
• Different context (learnt list on land and recalled underwater)

Question 10

What did the deep sea divers study find?

Answer 10

• Forgetting increased by 40% when learning and recall context differs.