If our LTM has unlimited capacity and

duration, why do we forget things?

Lesson 4 - Forgetting
Learning Outcomes – you will be able to:
Distinguish between proactive
and retroactive interference

Distinguish between context-

dependent and state –
dependent forgetting

Describe and evaluate research

into forgetting
3
Instructions

Thank you for agreeing to take part in my

research.
You will shortly be shown a list of word pairs
which you should memorise these.
You will be asked to recall the list later.
 Fire Shoe

Coat Pig

Finger Sky

Paper Window

Bird Sticker
Now you will be shown another list of word
pairs to remember
 Fire Sock

Coat Horse

Finger Cloud

Paper Door

Bird Stamp
Now remember the word pairs from list 1
Fire

Coat

Finger

Paper

Bird
Did you recall the word pair from list 1 or list 2?
List 1 List 2

Fire Shoe Fire Sock

Coat Pig Coat Horse

Finger Sky Finger Cloud

Paper Window Paper Door

Bird Sticker Bird Stamp

 What is
Interference?
Interference

 Information in LTM is disrupted by other information

 Results in inaccurate recall or no recall at all

2 types of interference:
 Proactive

 Retroactive
 What are the
differences between proactive and
retroactive interference?
Proactive v Retroactive

 Proactive – older information in our memory,

interferes when recalling newer information

 Retroactive – newer information in our memory

interferes when recalling older information

 Pro

 Retro
Proactive v Retroactive
Proactive Interference Retroactive Interference

Real life examples 1. 1.

2. 2.
Strengths
Weaknesses
EXTENSION: Research

Either use p19 in your booklet, or try and challenge yourself and do it from
memory
Psychology Quiz
1. Who carried out research on the duration of STM by asking participants to recall
trigram after counting backwards in 3s?

2. What part of the WMM stores visual information?

3. Who carried out research into encoding and found that we encode acoustically in STM,
semantically in LTM?

4. Remembering who is President of USA is which type of memory?

5. Who carried out research into the duration of LTM by asking participants to recall the
names of old classmates?

6. In the Sensory Register of the MSM, our haptic register process memory for which
sense?
1. Who carried out research on the duration of STM by asking participants to recall trigram after counting
backwards in 3s?
P_ _ _ _ _ _ n & P _ _ _ _ _ _ n

2. What part of the WMM stores visual information?

V____ S______ S________

3. Who carried out research into encoding and found that we encode acoustically in STM, semantically in LTM?

B_dd____

4. Remembering who is President of USA is which type of memory?

S_m_____

5. Who carried out research into the duration of LTM by asking participants to recall the names of old classmates?
_____ck

6. In the Sensory Register of the MSM, our haptic register process memory for which sense?
T____
Check your answers
1. Who carried out research on the duration of STM by asking participants to recall
trigram after counting backwards in 3s? Peterson & Peterson

2. What part of the WMM stores visual information? Visuo Spatial Sketchpad

3. Who carried out research into encoding and found that we encode acoustically in
STM, semantically in LTM? Baddeley

4. Remembering who is President of USA is which type of memory? Semantic

5. Who carried out research into the duration of LTM by asking participants to recall the
names of old classmates? Bahrick

6. In the Sensory Register of the MSM, our haptic register process memory for which
sense? Touch
Which round did you do better on? Why?
 What is
Cue-Dependent
Forgetting?
Cue-Dependent Forgetting
 Forgetting is mainly due to retrieval failure - the information is
available but you can’t access it. This happens when you have
insufficient cues during recall.

 When information is stored in memory, their associated cues are

stored with it.

 If these cues are not readily available when recalling, then it may
seem as if the information has been forgotten.

 This suggests that the information is still available for recall, but it
cannot be accessed until sufficient cues are activated.
Instructions

Thank you for agreeing to take part in my research.

Shortly I’m going to ask some of you to run on the
spot, whilst some of you stay sat at your desk.
Then I will ask all of you to remember a row of
letters.
H J R S

L D B T
Now recall
 What is
Context-Dependent
Forgetting?
Context Dependent Forgetting

 When external cues are different when encoding

information and recalling it e.g the environment

 How does this link to Tulving’s Encoding

Specificity Principle? p20 of memory booklet

 Now,re-read Godden & Baddeley p21 of memory

booklet
 What is
State-Dependent
Forgetting?
State Dependent Forgetting

 When internal cues are different when encoding

information and recalling it e.g encoding information when
under the influence of alcohol, then forgetting it the next
day
 Re-read Carter & Cassady, p22

 State Dependent Forgetting & Context Dependent

Forgetting are examples of retrieval failure – the
information isn’t necessarily lost, it is just unavailable at
the time of recall
Evaluating State Dependent & Context Dependent
Forgetting– Pick your spice:

Extra Hot: create 2 PEEL points without

looking in your booklet

Hot: create 2 PEEL points using your booklet

Medium: create a strengths/weaknesses

table of Context Dependent Forgetting &
State Dependent forgetting – link this to
research
 CHALLENGE: do this
Exam Questions without looking at
your booklet

Q1. Outline retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting.

(3 marks)

Q2. Toby and Sarah both studied AS Psychology at the same

school. Toby’s class was taught in the school lecture theatre
while Sarah’s class had their lessons in a science classroom.
Both students sat their final psychology exam in the school
lecture theatre.
Which student is likely to perform worse in their final
psychology exam? Use your knowledge of explanations of
forgetting to justify your answer. (4 marks)
Mark Scheme

Q1 [AO1 = 3]
Possible content:
• forgetting occurs in the absence of appropriate
cue/prompts/triggers/clues/’tip-of-the-tongue’
forgetting
• context dependent – being in a different place may inhibit memory
• state dependent – being in a different mood/state of arousal may inhibit
memory
• credit reference to the encoding specificity principle
• credit explanation if embedded within an example
1 mark for naming types only
2 marks only if answer is couched in terms of ‘remembering’ rather than forgetting
Credit other relevant material.
Mark Scheme
Q2. [AO2 = 4]
1 mark for Sarah (will perform worse).
Plus
Up to 3 marks for the explanation of the difference in performance.
3 marks for a clear and detailed explanation of why Sarah would perform worse / Toby would perform better.
2 marks for a less detailed explanation of why Sarah would perform worse / Toby would perform better.
1 mark for a muddled or limited explanation of why Sarah would perform worse / Toby would perform better.
Possible content for explanation:
• Sarah learnt and recalled in a different environment / context
• the cues present when learning the psychology material in the classroom would not have been
present at recall in the lecture theatre for Sarah
• the absence of the cues meant that Sarah did not have any triggers to aid her recall and this
caused retrieval failure
• using research evidence to support the explanation of why Sarah’s performance is likely to be
worse, e.g. Godden & Baddeley (1975) or Abernethy (1940)
• stronger answers might refer to the encoding specificity principle.
Plenary – Which type of forgetting?

 Remembering Psychology content whilst walking around college, but

not when you’re at home

 Putting in your old pin number when you get a new Credit Card

 Remembering the lyrics of a song only when you can hear the tune

 Moving house and forgetting the address of your old house

 Remembering how to draw the Multi Store Model when you’re wide
awake, but forgetting when you feel tired