Transcript 5.9 Forgettingx

Ebbinghaus’s Curve of Forgetting
• Study found most forgetting takes place during the first 9 hours after
learning, especially after the 1st hour
Ebbinghaus’s Curve of Forgetting
• Study found most forgetting takes place during the first 9 hours after
learning, especially after the 1st hour
Method of Savings –
• difference between the # of repetitions needed to learn a list of items
& the # of reps needed to relearn.
- It took Burt 8 repetitions to remember a
list of 20 words
- One day later it took Burt 4 repetitions to
remember the same list of words
- Savings is: 4 or 50% (8-4 = 4)
Ebbinghaus’s Curve of Forgetting
• Study found most forgetting takes place during the first 9 hours after
learning, especially after the 1st hour
Method of Savings –
• difference between the # of repetitions needed to learn a list of items
& the # of reps needed to relearn.
Ebbinghaus’s Results:
• Curve can be generalized to almost all learning
tasks
• Relearning is faster
• Memory (savings) lasts in LTM for decades
Decay
•Gradual erosion of a memory
•Most common cause of STM loss
Interference
• Interrupts memory through the presence of other
info
• STM: new info displaces old info because of
limited space
• LTM: more memories stored, the harder it is to
“find” one particular memory
- Proactive interference when older info interferes
w/recall of new info
- Retroactive interference when learning new info
interferes w/recall of older info
Suppression:
• Conscious attempt to forget
information
• “I won’t think about that now.”
Repression:
• Unconscious attempt to forget
information
• Things like past abuse, trauma, etc
Brain Damage
Retrograde Amnesia:
• Loss of memory of prior to an injury
• Many regain most memories back
Brain Damage
Retrograde Amnesia:
• Loss of memory of prior to an injury
• Many regain most memories back
Anterograde Amensia:
• Loss of memory of events after an injury
• Result of damage to hippocampus
• Prevents transfer of new experiences from STM to
LTM
Brain Damage