Mod

1. Memory: explanations of forgetting
• The specification.
• Explanations for forgetting: proactive
and retroactive interference and
retrieval failure due to absence of cues.

3. Memory: explanations of forgetting
• Forgetting: the loss of the ability to
recall something previously learned.
• Interference theory: memory is
disrupted or obscured by other
information.

4. Interference theory
• If information is stored in LTM it can last for
a long time.
• We may not forget it but be unable to
retrieve it accurately.
• One memory may interfere with the
retrieval of another memory.

5. Interference theory
• Proactive interference.
• When an old memory interferes with the
accurate recall of a new memory.
• Retroactive interference.
• When a new memory interferes with the
accurate recall of an older memory.

7. Proactive interference
• Your friend gets a new mobile phone with a
new number.
• You learn the new number.
• One day you find yourself using the old
number.

8. Retroactive interference
• Your friend gets a new mobile phone with a
new number.
• After a while the new number replaces the old
number.
• The old number is not forgotten.
• The new number interferes with the old
number.

11. Interference theory
• One way retroactive interference is
researched is by getting participants to learn
lists of pairs of words.

12. Underwood & Postman (1960)

13. Interference theory
• Proactive interference: when list A
interferes with list B recall.
• Retroactive interference: when list B
interferes with list A recall.

14. Interference theory
• Interference is worse when the information
that people are trying to retrieve from LTM is
similar.

15. Interference theory
• McGeoch and McDonald gave participants 2
lists of words to learn: some with similar
meanings some with different meanings.
• Group 1: words with similar meanings.
• Group 2 words with different meanings.
• Group 1: made more mistakes on a memory
recall test.

16. Evaluation: strengths
• Research support
• Lots of carefully controlled lab
experiments have found evidence that
interference causes forgetting.

17. Evaluation: strengths
• Real life studies
• Psychologists have carried out
experiments that use more realistic
materials and provide a more realistic
test of human memory.
• This backs up interference as an
explanation for forgetting.

18. Evaluation: limitations
• Artificial Materials
• Lab experiments get participants to
learn lists of words.
• This is not a realistic test of human
memory.