Forgetting & Other Memory Challenges

Forgetting Curve

a graph showing how memory retention declines over time, with the steepest drop occurring shortly after learning unless information is reinforced

Encoding Failure

the inability to store information in long-term memory because it was not properly processed or encoded

Proactive Interference

the tendency for old memories to interfere with the learning of new memories

Retroactive Interference

the tendency for new memories to interfere with the recall of old memories

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

the feeling of knowing a word or piece of information but being temporarily unable to retrieve it

Repression

a defense mechanism in which distressing thoughts, memories, or emotions are unconsciously pushed out of conscious awareness

Reconsolidation

the process of modifying or replacing a stored memory with a new version when it is recalled

Misinformation Effect

the tendency for information learned after an event to distort or interfere with the original memory of the event

Source Amnesia

remembering information but forgetting when, where, or how it was learned

Constructive Memory

the process by which the brain reconstructs memories using existing knowledge and schemas to fill in gaps

Imagination Inflation

repeatedly imagining an event increases confidence that it actually occurred, even if it never did

Retrograde Amnesia

loss of declarative and some procedural memories formed before a head injury

Anterograde Amnesia

inability to form new declarative and some procedural memories after a head injury

Alzheimer’s Disease

a neurodegenerative disorder marked by a gradual decline in memory, cognitive abilities, and personality

Infantile Amnesia

the inability of adults to recall memories from early childhood, typically before age 3 or 4