Transcript Forgetting theories

FORGETTING
Forgetting is the inability to
recall or retrieve previously
learned information
When do we forget?
Sensory memory
The senses momentarily register
amazing detail.
Short-term memory
A few items are both noticed
and encoded.
Long-term storage
Some items are altered or lost.
Retrieval from long-term memory
Depending on interference,retrieval
cues, moods, and motives, some
things get retrieved, some don’t.
Forgetting
can occur at
any memory
stage
Forgetting because of encoding failure
• Information may never be
encoded into LTM
Short-term
memory
X
Encoding
Encoding failure
leads to forgetting
Long-term
memory
Examples of encoding failure
• What letters accompany the number
5 on your mobile phone?
• Where is the key “y” in a computer
keyboard?
Forgetting as retrieval failure
• Not all forgetting is due to encoding failures
• Sometimes information is encoded into
LTM, but we can’t retrieve it
Encoding
Short-term
memory
Long-term
memory
Retrieval
Retrieval failure
leads to forgetting
Retrieval failure theories
• Decay theories
• Interference theories
Forgetting Because of Decay
• Memories fade away or decay gradually
if unused
• Time plays critical role
• Ability to retrieve information declines
with time after original encoding
Interference theories
• “Memories interfering with memories”
• Forgetting NOT caused by mere
passage of time
• Caused by one memory competing
with or replacing another memory
• There are two types of interferences
Two types of interference
Types of interference
Retroactive
Interference
Proactive
Interference
Retroactive interference
• When a NEW memory interferes
with remembering OLD
information
• Example: When new phone
number interferes with ability to
remember old phone number
Proactive interference
• When an OLD memory interferes with
remembering NEW information
• This is the opposite of retroactive
interference
• Example: Memories of where you have seen
a friend last week interfere your ability to
remember where you saw him today.