2.7 - Forgetting and Other Memory Challenges

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

inability to remember information from one’s past

Types of forgetting

• encoding failure (never acquired)

• storage decay (forget, fades away, discard)

• retrieval failure

  • tip of the tongue phenomenon - know that you know it, but can’t recall it; can describe details

positive transfer

previously learned information facilitates learning of new information

ex) know Italian, easier to learn Spanish

proactive interference

forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information (no new!)
ex) new password, keep typing old one

retroactive interference

backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information (no old!)
ex) learn to hold instrument, can’t hold it the wrong way anymore

repression

basic defense mechanism that gets rid of unacceptable/painful/anxious memories to protect the ego

reconsolidation

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 of how/when/where information was learned or imagined
*heart of many false memories
-ex) source misattribution - misattribute info to a wrong source

déjà vu

eerie sense of experiencing something before
*cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience