Theories of Forgetting

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Theories of Forgetting

Emotional Factors

Repression

Is unconscious (the ego blocks the retireval of memories)

Develops from a fixation in childhood to reduce anxiety in adulthood

Defence Mechanism

Psychodynamic theory

Related Studies

Loftus & Burns, 1982 Investigated the effects of retrieval of information from a bank robbery video, with two versions of the video. Results: participants had poorer recall for the more violent video Loftus & Burns concluded that this was due to "weapons focus": when attention is channeled towards the source of distress and away from other details. They also suggested participants could have needed to be in the same state to improve recall (cue-dependant).

Loftus & Pickrell, 1995 Investigated the formation of false memories by asking participants to retrieve information about memories their older relatives had written in a booklet. One memory was falsified - of getting lost in a shopping mall. Results: 25-29% claimed to 'remember' false event.

Levinger & Clark 1961 Investigated the retrieval of association to words that were emotionally charged and compared them to the retrieval of of associations to neutrally charged words Results: Participants took longer to provide associations the the negatively charged words than to the neutral. Negative words also produced a higher galvanic skin responses

Myers & Brewin, 1994 Study suggests is more likely to be a result of a troubled childhood

Brewin & Andrews, 2000 Study supports 'intentional forgetting'

Forgetting in Long Term Memory

Proactive Interference

e.g. a moved cutlery drawer in a kitchen

This is when old information interferes with the recall of new information

Retroactive Interference

Various studies from the 60's concerned a paired association technique. Results found participants were more likely to remember the associated word from the other list rather than the prompt word to begin with.

This is when new information interferes with the recall of old information

Lack of Consolidation

An injury to the head may prevent consolidation

A period of firmly making the memory stronger is necessary for recording memory into Long Term Memory

This decay happens due to disuse. Knowledge and skills fade.

Disorders that affect Memory

Schizophrenia

Parkinson's Disease

Huntington's Disease

Dementia

Alzheimer's

Case Studies

Godden & Baddeley 1975

Results concluded that retrieval of information was best when learning and recall environments were the same

Study involved divers and the effects of recall when learning and recall environment are the same?different

Goodwin, et al, 1969

Found that it is more likely to remember information if you are in the same emotional or physical state when learning it

State-Dependant Forgetting / The effects of alcohol on recall

Abernathy 1940

Also remembering information is made easier with retrieval cues

These studies showed that it is easier to recall information within the same context in which it was learned (e.g. students perform better on tests when they are conducted by the same teacher who taught them the material and in the same room in which that material was learnt.)

Context-Dependant Forgetting

Baddeley & Hitch 1977

However, results were varied, therefore can conclude that intervening memories interrupted encoding in Long Term Memory and interference has greater impact on decay than the passage of time

Decay theory assumed that the passage of time would not affect the recollection of information

Natural experiment on decay and interference

Rugby Players. Long Term Memory

Forgetting in Short Term Memory

Diversion

The less attention focused on information, the more likely it is to be forgotten.

Brain Damage

Warrington & Sahllice 1972 Study of KF found that in Short Term Memory audio letters/digits were more easily forgotten than visual stimuli. This suggests Short Term Memory has miltiple stores.

Displacement

Brown-Peterson technique: last few words on list displaced by counting task.

Limited number of space/slots in Short Term Memory (7 +/- 2) so old information is displaced.

Trace Decay

Hebb 1949 - a brief and fragile memory trace is laid down and without rehearsal that memory is lost. Rehearsal is repeated neural activity which allows memory to be transferred a the Long Term Memory Stiore

Peterson & Peterson 1959 found that memory held in STM was lost after approximately 18 seconds due to trace decay

Memory lost to the passage of time