Psychology Exam 3 - Forgetting

Encoding Failure

Information never really entered LTM, 'never knowing' rather than 'forgetting'

Retrieval Failure

Information is not properly retrieved from LTM

Interference

Information is in the LTM but other information gets in the way of retrieving it

Proactive Interference

Tendency for older information to interfere with retrieval of new information

Retroactive Interference

Tendency for new information to interfere with retrieval of old information

Decay

Loss of memory due to the passage of time in which the memory was not used (use it or lose it!)

Memory Trace

Physical change in the brain that occurs when a memory is formed, over time, if these traces are not used (the memory is not retrieved), then they may change toward other connections or decay

Top-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

• We are confident we know something, but we cannot retrieve it from LTM

• Usually can remember some characteristics about the information (first letter, number of syllables)

• We get "hooked" on these retrieval cues

• More likely to recall information by abandoning effortful retrieval and thinking about something else

Prospective Memory

Remembering things from the past

Prospective Memory (Intentions)

Remembering to do something in the future, cognitive load

Cognitive Load

Forget when we get preoccupied or distracted by something else