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Forgetting
•proactive and retroactive interference
The MSM of memory states that LTM has an unlimited
capacity, and memories have a duration of potentially a
lifetime
However, we know by experience that we forget information
stored in the LTM.
But does that mean the memories are gone (availability), or we
just can’t reach them (accessibility) ?
Forgetting: interference
Interference: one memory disturbs the ability to recall another. This might result
in forgetting or distorting one or the other or both. This is more likely to happen if
the memories are similar.
Proactive interference:
Previously learnt information interferes with the new
information you are trying to store.
For example: you have difficulties learning the names of the
students in your psychology class instead you keep
remembering the names of the students in your maths group
last year.
Old memory
New memory
Proactive interference
Pro=forward
Retroactive interference:
A new memory interferes with older ones.
For example: you have difficulties remembering the names of the
students in your maths group last year because you learnt the names of
your psychology class this year.
Old memory
New memory
Retroactive interference
Retro=backward
Check point…
Complete pg 16 in your packs…
Research evidence:
Underwood & Postman(1960)
Aim: to find out if new learning interferes with previous
learning.
Procedure: Participants were divided into two groups. Group A
were asked to learn a list of word pairs i.e. cat-tree, they were
then asked to learn a second list of word pairs where the
second paired word was different i.e. cat – glass. Group B were
asked to learn the first list of word pairs only. Both groups were
asked to recall the first list of word pairs.
Results: Group B recall of the first list was more accurate than
the recall of group A.
Conclusion: This suggests that learning items in the second list
interfered with participants’ ability to recall the list. This is an
example of retroactive interference.
A real-life study: Baddeley & Hitch (1977)
They asked rugby players to recall the names of teams recently
played.
For various reasons including injuries and suspensions most players
they interviewed had missed some games, so for one player the
last game might have been last week, while for another it was two
months ago.
Baddeley and Hitch found that recall for the last game was equally
good whether that game was played some time ago or last week.
This shows that incorrect recall was not due to decay (the
passage of time) but was related to the number of intervening
games.
This demonstrates that interference is a reason for forgetting
in our everyday life.
Evaluation
Most of the evidence supporting this
theory comes from lab studies i.e.
Underwood and Postman. This is a
strength as the extraneous variables can be
controlled and these experiments can be
replicated so reliability can be tested.
However they use artificial material (i.e.
word lists) which are meaningless to the
participants so they do not represent every
day situations when we have to remember
things which have meaning to us i.e. a
shopping list, so they lack….. However
there is support for the influence of
interference in every day life (Baddeley &
Hitch).
Lacks Validity (external) - The
participants do not have the same
motivation to remember the stimuli
used in an experiment than they have to
remember things which are important to
their lives i.e. remembering studies for
an exam, so the recall of the participants
might be less accurate and make the
effects of interference appear stronger
than they really are.
Baddeley (1990) states that the tasks
given to participants are too close to
each other and, in real life, these kinds
of events are more spaced out so the
effect might be different.
The research does not investigate whether the information has “disappeared” or can
be recovered later. Ceraso (1967) showed that if tested again after 24 hours there is
significant recovery so the effect of interference might be temporary. This could be
seen as conflicting evidence
Tasks
1. Complete pgs
17-20 in your packs –
highlight research and whether it is supporting
or conflicting
2. HSW pg 3, 4-7 using your text books