MEMORY
Explanations for Forgetting
Interference
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An explanation for forgetting in terms of one
memory disrupting the ability to recall another
This is most likely to occur when the two memories
have some similarities
There are two memories competing
Two types of interference
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Retroactive Interference (RI)
Retro meaning backwards
This is when a new memory or learning interferes
(backwards) with an old memory
E.g. you’ve just learnt names of researchers in this
topic of memory and so these names are interfering
with the names learnt in the first topic of
Approaches
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Proactive Interference (PI)
Pro meaning forward
This is when old memories interfere (forwards) with
new memories
E.g. learning to drive in a car where the indicators
are on the right and wipers on left
Get a new car where the indicators are on the left,
but you keep forgetting and put the wipers on
Evaluation of Interference Theory
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A strength is that there is much research to support
the existence of both pro and retroactive
interference. For example, in a word pair memory
task, Underwood (1957) found that information
learnt second interfered with information learnt first
and vice versa.
This suggests that the theory is a valid explanation
of forgetting.
Evaluation of Interference Theory
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However, much of this research is lab-based and
uses artificial material such as word lists. Therefore,
these findings may not relate to everyday memory
where information is meaningful and we are also
motivated to remember things.
Therefore, the research into interference theory
tends to lack ecological validity.
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However, there is ecologically valid evidence of
interference theory. For example, Baddeley and Hitch
tested rugby players on the names of the teams they
had played against during a season. It was found that
players who had played more games showed more
forgetting than players who had played less due to
injury.
This supports interference theory as if the forgetting
was due to decay (fading over time) you would expect
both groups of pts to forget a similar proportion of
games to each other as the time period was the same.
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An advantage of research into interference theory
is that it has practical applications.
For example, research shows that exposure to
adverts from competing brands within a short-time
period can lead to interference. This has serious
implications for companies as it suggests that costly
advertising could be ineffective.
Challenge: How could this be avoided?
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It can be argued that retrieval failure (next
explanation) is better than interference theory. A
study by Tulving and Pstoka (1971) supports this
idea as they found…………………………..
Consequently, interference explanations of
forgetting may not be correct