2.7: Forgetting and Other Memory Challenges

Anterograde Amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

Reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again

misinformation effect

occurs when a memory has been corrupted by misleading information

source amnesia

faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined

deja vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

encoding failure

failure to process information into memory

retrieval failure

the inability to recall long-term memories because of inadequate or missing retrieval cues

Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve

if a memory is never used or recalled, then it will decay quickly over time, and then level off

positive transfer

when old information facilitates the learning of new information

Imagination Inflation

a memory phenomenon in which vividly imagining an event markedly increases confidence that the event actually occurred