1. MEMORY Explanations for Forgetting

2. Interference  An explanation for forgetting in terms of one memory disrupting the ability to recall another  This is most likely to occur when the two memories have some similarities  There are two memories competing

3. Two types of interference  Retroactive Interference (RI)  Retro meaning backwards  This is when a new memory or learning interferes (backwards) with an old memory  E.g. you’ve just learnt names of researchers in this topic of memory and so these names are interfering with the names learnt in the first topic of Approaches

4.  Proactive Interference (PI)  Pro meaning forward  This is when old memories interfere (forwards) with new memories  E.g. learning to drive in a car where the indicators are on the right and wipers on left  Get a new car where the indicators are on the left, but you keep forgetting and put the wipers on

5. Evaluation of Interference Theory  A strength is that there is much research to support the existence of both pro and retroactive interference. For example, in a word pair memory task, Underwood (1957) found that information learnt second interfered with information learnt first and vice versa.  This suggests that the theory is a valid explanation of forgetting.

6. Evaluation of Interference Theory  However, much of this research is lab-based and uses artificial material such as word lists. Therefore, these findings may not relate to everyday memory where information is meaningful and we are also motivated to remember things.  Therefore, the research into interference theory tends to lack ecological validity.

7.  However, there is ecologically valid evidence of interference theory. For example, Baddeley and Hitch tested rugby players on the names of the teams they had played against during a season. It was found that players who had played more games showed more forgetting than players who had played less due to injury.  This supports interference theory as if the forgetting was due to decay (fading over time) you would expect both groups of pts to forget a similar proportion of games to each other as the time period was the same.

8.  An advantage of research into interference theory is that it has practical applications.  For example, research shows that exposure to adverts from competing brands within a short-time period can lead to interference. This has serious implications for companies as it suggests that costly advertising could be ineffective.  Challenge: How could this be avoided?

9.  It can be argued that retrieval failure (next explanation) is better than interference theory. A study by Tulving and Pstoka (1971) supports this idea as they found…………………………..  Consequently, interference explanations of forgetting may not be correct