Why do we forget?

Why do we forget?

3 main reasons

• encoding failure

• storage decay

• retrieval failure

Which one is the real penny?

Poll

Which one is the real penny?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Poll

Which one is the real penny?

• E

• F

• G

• H

D

Encoding failure

• Much of what we sense we never notice (selective attention)

• If we don't notice/encode it, we won't remember it

Storage Decay

• Even after encoding something well, we can later forget it

• The physical memory trace gradually fades when there's no attempt to retain

• Memory for new info fades quickly but then levels out over time

with distributed practice

(spacing effect)

with distributed practice (spacing effect)

Retrieval Failure

Retrieval Failure

• tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (can be alleviated by retrieval cues)

• interference

• amnesia

Amnesia

• anterograde amnesia = inability to form new memories (like H.M.)

• retrograde amnesia = inability to retrieve information from one's past

Interference

• proactive interference = when prior learning disrupts recall of new info (forward-acting)

• retroactive interference = when new learning disrupts recall of old information (backward-acting)

Multiple Choice

John suffered a head injury in an accident five years ago. He now has clear memories of events that occurred before the accident, but he has great difficulty remembering any of the experiences he has had since the accident. John’s symptoms describe

• anterograde amnesia

• retrograde amnesia

• source amnesia

• retroactive interference

• state-dependent memory

Multiple Choice

In an experiment, either a sad video or a happy video was shown to participants to influence their moods. The participants were then asked to memorize a list of words. Later, the participants were again shown either the same video they had seen before memorizing the words or they were shown the other video, and they were then asked to recall the words they had memorized previously. The results of the experiment, summarized in the chart, best illustrate which psychological concept?

• interference

• state-dependent memory

• encoding failure

• source amnesia

• flashbulb memory

Multiple Choice

Which of the following activities most directly relies on the hippocampus?

• Remembering events specific to one’s life

• Memorizing the layout of a neighborhood

• Encoding your surroundings when experiencing a highly emotional event

• Becoming classically conditioned to fear an unconditioned stimulus

Multiple Choice

An individual’s ability to remember the day theyfirst swam the length of a swimming pool is most clearly an example of which of the following kinds of memory?

• semantic

• flashbulb

• procedural

• retrograde

• retroactive

Multiple Choice

In elementary school, Lisa learned to speak some Japanese in addition to English. As a sophomore in high school, Lisa took a class in Chinese. She found that some of the new vocabulary was difficult to learn because her earlier Japanese vocabulary was competing with the new Chinese words. This situation best illustrates

• anterograde amnesia

• retrograde amnesia

• proactive interference

• retroactive interference

• context-dependent memory

Another retrieval issue:

memory construction

Memory Construction Errors

• Our memories can be revised continuously (called memory reconsolidation)

• Misleading information can distort our memory (misinformation effect)

• We can forget how, when, or where info was learned (source amnesia)