Lesson 12:

Forgetting &

Memory Loss

Sunday, 31 March 13

Outcomes:

•Describe the strengths and limitations of the psychological theories of forgetting:

- Retrieval failure theory including tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

- Interference theory

- Motivated forgetting as informed by the work of Sigmund Freud including repression and suppression

- Decay theory

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What is Forgetting???

Failure to access or retrieve information previously stored in

memory

Sunday, 31 March 13

Forgetting something DOES NOT mean it is gone FOREVER, but simply at that moment in

time you can not retrieve the information.

So WHY do we

forget????

Sunday, 31 March 13

Retrieval Failure Theory

Forget because fail to use the right retrieval cue

Retrieval cues are mental reminders; context dependent cues (context or environment memory was encoded) and state dependent cues (smell, taste and sounds associated with the encoding of the memory)

Retrieval of memories are enhanced when remembering occurs in similar surroundings as when the memory was

encoded

IS STUDYING WHILST LISTING TO YOUR IPOD SUCH A GREAT IDEA???????

Sunday, 31 March 13

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

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Remember this number 9458 2329

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Spend 30 sec remembering the following

9876 5432

97005731

9345 6894

9354 6823

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TRY TO RECALL ORIGINAL NUMBER

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9458 2329

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That was an example of retroactive interference. Where new information interferes with the

ability to remember old information.

Sunday, 31 March 13

Interference Theory

Forget because other memories interfere with the one we are trying to retrieve, particularly those that are similar to the one we are trying to recall

 Retroactive interference – New information

interferes with the remembering of old information

 Proactive interference - Old information interferes

with ability to remember new information

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Sunday, 31 March 13

Limitations - Interference Theory

Research supporting the theory tends to only show interference with the recall of

meaningless information.

It has yet to explain why interference does not effect semantic memories

Sunday, 31 March 13

Motivated Forgetting

Theory proposed by Sigmund Freud

Forget because we want to forget, defense mechanism that protects us from distressing memories.

Information not lost but hard to retrieve during normal waking consciousness

Motivation can also lead us to recode distressing memories as more pleasant

Repression - subconscious defense mechanismSuppression – conscious choosing not to think

Sunday, 31 March 13

Repressed memories is a highly controversial topic. There mere existence

is questionable creating doubt in the validity of Freud’s research.

Limitations - Motivated Forgetting

Sunday, 31 March 13

Decay Theory

Forget because memory fades over time due to misuse

Based on assumption that memory is stored as a physical or chemical trace in the brain

Sunday, 31 March 13

Limitations - Decay Theory

Extremely difficult to empirically test theory

Does not explain sudden recollection of memories ‘forgotten’

Fails to explain the strength of the LTM retrieval of the elderly

Sunday, 31 March 13