The Explanation for Forgetting + Evaluation - Interference

Interference

Two lots of information become confused in memory. Forgetting occurs, one memory blocks another, causing one or both memories to be distorted

Types of interference

Proactive and retroactive

Proactive

Forgetting occurs when older memories stored disrupt the recall of newer memories

Retroactive

Forgetting occurs when newer memories disrupt the recall of older memories

Acronym

P - proactive O - old R - retroactive N - new

Explanation for the effects of similarity

Similarity may affect recall due to the proactive interference or retroactive interference

A strength of the interference theory

P- There is evidence of interference effects in more everyday situations. E - Baddeley and Hitch’s study. L - Shows that interference can happen in some real-world situations, increases validity

1st limitation

P - Interference is temporary, can be overcome by cues. E - Tulving and Psoka’s study. L - Shows that interference shows a temporary loss of accessibility of material in the LTM

2nd limitation

P - The research is quite artificial. E - Most research is lab-based, use artificial lists of words. Doesn’t resemble forgetting in everyday life. Participants may lack motivation to remember the links in studies. L - Research is low in ecological validity