Transcript Forgetting Powerpoint

Pages 182-189
Theories of forgetting
To understand the nature of forgetting it is necessary
to make a distinction between the following:
 availability: is the information still stored?
 accessibility: can it be retrieved at will?
Trace decay
Learning something creates a memory or ‘engram’
which gradually fades
This affects both STM and LTM
Displacement
There are only a limited number of slots in STM – if
new information is taken in then some old
information must be ‘knocked out’ (displaced)
This is a STM theory of forgetting
Interference
The existing memory is distorted
in some way, either by something
learned in the past (proactive
interference) or by something
learned in the future (retroactive
interference)
This affects both STM and LTM
Lack of consolidation

When we take in new
information a certain amount
of time is necessary for
changes to the nervous system
to take place

In the consolidation
process, forgetting can occur
when consolidation is
prevented.
Retrieval failure
‘Cues’ are important – we are likely to remember
information better if we recall it in the same state and
context that it was learned in the first place
This is a LTM theory of forgetting
Motivated forgetting
Normally taken to mean ‘motivated forgetting’ in that
people unconsciously ‘repress’ (push back) painful or
disturbing memories.
This is a LTM theory of forgetting
Task
Read about each of these theories, their studies and
the evaluative comments
Make notes in your booklet on page 27