Psychology 2075 Quiz: Why We Forget

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2075
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Since you can"t really forget something you never learned this phenomenon is sometimes called pseudoforgetting. Pseudoforgetting is usually due to lack of attention. Decay theory proposes that forgetting occurs because memory traces fade with time. The mere passage of time produces forgetting. Forgetting depends not on the amount of time that has passed since learning but on the amount, complexity, and type of information that subjects have had to assimilate during the retention interval. Interference theory proposes that people forget information because of competition from other. There are two kinds of interference; retroactive interference and proactive interference. Retroactive interference occurs when new information impairs the retention of previously learned information. Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the retention of new information. Retrieval failures may be more likely when a mismatch occurs between retrieval cues and the encoding of the information you"re searching for.