EXPLANATIONS FOR FORGETTING - 12 MARKER (AO1 + AO3)

Interference

One explanation for forgetting is interference, which occurs when memories disrupt each other. Proactive interference is when old information interferes with new information, while retroactive interference is when new information interferes with old information.

Research by GcGeoch and McDonald

Research by McGeoch and McDonald supports this, as they found that similar word lists led to poorer recall, showing that similarity increases interference. However, this study used artificial word lists in a lab, so it may lack ecological validity. A strength is that interference has real-life applications, suggesting Martin could avoid revising similar subjects together.

Retreival faliure

Another explanation is retrieval failure, which occurs due to a lack of appropriate cues. According to the encoding specificity principle, recall is better when cues present at learning are also present at recall.

Research by Godden and Baddeley

Godden and Baddeley support this, as participants recalled words better when learning and recall took place in the same environment. However, learning underwater is not realistic, so the study lacks ecological validity. Despite this, retrieval failure has useful applications, as cues can be used to improve memory.