π£ Memory: Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
What are the two explanations for forgetting
Retrieval failure
Interference
What is interference theory
A form of forgetting stating that interference occurs when at least two pieces of information disrupt each other
What are the types of interference
Proactive interference
Retroactive interference
What is proactive interference
It is when new information is forgotten - the new information is disrupted by old information
Example of retroactive interference
Forgetting old dance moves after learning new dance moves
Example of proactive interference
A teacher finding it hard remembering the names of her current class because she has learnt many names in the past
What is retroactive interference
When old information is forgotten - when old information is disrupted by new information
What effects does similarity have to interference
The more similar the memories are the more likely that they are to be disrupted or corrupted
Explain the effects of similarity research process
Participants were given a list of 10 words to learn - then another list was given to them to remember and there were 6 different lists given to 6 groups of participants consisting of words what were synonyms to the original list and ones that were antonyms.
Who researched the effects of similarity in interference theory
McGeoch and Mcdonald (1931)
What are the evaluation points for Interference theory
β’ Real-world example of interference
β’ Counter point of real-world example
β’ Cues overcome interference
β’ Drug studies
What are the strengths of interference theory
β’ Real-world example supporting interference theory
β’ Drug studies
What are the weaknesses of interference
β’ Counterpoint to real world example of interferences
β’ Cues overcome interference
Who researched the real-world study that supports interference theory and in what year
Baddeley and Hitch (1977)
Describe the real word example that supports interference theory
Rugby players were asked to recall the names of the teams that they played during the season
Players who played the most games recalled poorer than those who played the least games (due to injuries etc)
How is real-world study of interference a strength of interference theory
It increases the validity of the theory as it shows how interference occurs in the real world
Explain the counterpoint of the real-world study that supports interference
Due to the study being a real-world application, it lacked control and had many extraneous variables
Who discovered that cues can overwhelm interference and in what year
Tulving and Pstoka (1971)
What did Tulving and Psotka find out about interference and cues
They found out interference is temporary and can be overwhelmed by cues
How did Tulving and Psotka (1971) find out cues can overwhelm interference and what were the results
They found this by giving participants a list of words one at a time organised into categories recall average was about 70% and got worse after learning another category of words
However after given a cue (name of the category) recall rose back to 70%
How is the fact that cues can overwhelm interference a limitation of interference theory
It proves that it does not cover all aspects of forgetting
Who conducted the drug studies of interference theory
Coenen and Luijtelaar (1997)
What were the drug studies of interference theory
Participants were given a list of word to remember, then were given diazepam (so they werenβt able to encode new info) then given another set of words to remember
When asked to recall first set of words they were able to do so very accurately because no information disrupted the other
How is the drug studies test a strengthen interference theory
Proves the interference occurs when two pieces of information disrupts the other or each other