Proactive + Retroactive Interference

2 Types of Interference

What is interference

Proactive Interference

Older memory interferes with newer

Retroactive Interference

New memory prevents recall of older memory

One memory in LTM preventing retrieval of another in the LTM

Schmidt et al (2000) research supporting retroactive interference

What did he find

- Gave 211 participants aged 11 to 79 a questionnaire map and told to try name all the street names of their neighbourhood

- Gathered other info such as times moved house and how long lived there

- Amount of retroactive interference was assessed by number of times the individual had moved

Found positive association with amount of times moved and number of street names forgotten

Supports that Retroactive interference can explain forgetting in real life situations

When is interference strongest

Which research shows this

When memories are Similar

Mcgeoch and McDonald (1931)

- 6 groups of Participants learnt a list of 10 words until they could recall with 100% accuracy

- Each group then learnt a new list of words

Group 1: Synonyms

Group 2: Antonyms

Group 3: Words unrelated to the original ones

Group 4: Nonsense syllables

Group 5: Three digit numbers

Group 6: No new list learnt (Control condition)

Recall was worst where words from the new list were synonyms to the old group

Shows interference is strongest where memories are similar

Strength of interference theory

- Can explain individual differences in forgetting

- Based on amount and similarity of information learnt

- For example Schmidt et al study where he found a posistive correlation between amount of times moved and number of street names forgotten

- Likely due to those people learning alot of street names from moving in the past leading to proactive interference to new street names

- Therefore increasing its validity

Scientific strength of interference theory

- Meets Scientific Criteria

- Has been developed using the scientific process of theory construction

- Claims of the theory have been tested by gathering empirical evidence

- e.g. Schmidt's research which demonstrated Retroactive Interference in a real life situation

- Therefore having scientific credibility led to increased research in this area in the past, leading to our modern understanding of memory systems