Explanations for forgetting Flashcards
What are 2 explanations for forgetting?
Interference theory
Retrieval failure
What is the interference theory?
The idea that previous or new knowledge may disrupt recall of an existing memory.
What are the 2 types of interference?
Retroactive interference
Proactive interference
What is retroactive interference?
Where recent memories interfere with old learning
What is proactive interference?
Where previous memories interfere with recall of a more recent memory
What is a real-world study for interference?
Baddeley + Hitch –> rugby players were asked to recall the names of teams they played. Found that those who played the most games recalled less
What are 2 limitations of the rugby study?
Low external validity
Gender bias
What are 2 weaknesses of the interference theory?
RL - many of the studies use artificial lists so lack external validity. Participants may lack motivation to take part.
TL - only explains some situations of forgetting
What is retrieval failure?
The idea that we forget due to insufficient cues
How does similarity of events affect retrieval ability?
The greater the similarity between the encoding event and the retrieval event, the greater the likelihood of recalling the original memory
What are the 2 types of forgetting?
Context-dependent forgetting
State-dependent forgetting
What is context-dependent forgetting?
Not having the external/environmental factors to act as a cue
What researchers looked into context-dependent forgetting?
Godden + Baddeley
What study did Godden + Baddeley carry out?
Deep sea divers learnt a list of words either underwater/on land and were then asked to recall the words either underwater/on land
What were the findings of the deep sea diver study?
Recall was higher in the matching conditions, supporting the idea that they need external cues to access the memories
