Exam Questions for Interference
In the context of explanations for forgetting, what is meant by
interference?
Interference is when one memory is interrupting the recall of another. This
results in forgetting one, or the other, or in some cases both! It is more
prominent in situations where the memories are similar to one another.
Choose one study in which the effects of interference were
investigated. Briefly outline what the participants had to do in the
study.
Baddeley & Hitch both wanted to find out whether or not interference was
a better explanation for forgetting rather than time. They asked rugby
players to try and remember the names of the teams that they had played
thus far in that particular season every week. The majority of players had
missed games - some may have played a team a couple of weeks back,
and maybe even more.
Briefly discuss one limitation of interference as an explanation of
forgetting.
A limitation of the interference theory in memory is that it lacks ecological
validity. There is a much greater chance for interference to be shown in
the laboratory studies, suggesting that it is not true to real life. The
stimulus that is mainly used in lab studies are lists of words, meaning that
participants have to learn these lists. Learning lists of words aren’t the
types of things that we typically learn in every day life, as apposed to the
likes of learning people’s faces, their birthdays, the ingredients, etc.
Therefore, interference may explain forgetting in a lab experiment, but
might not be a good explanation of forgetting in real life. However, a study
by Henk Schmidt was used in real life, which does counteract this idea.
Describe interference as an explanation for forgetting.
One explanation of forgetting is interference. This is when two pieces of
In the context of explanations for forgetting, what is meant by
interference?
Interference is when one memory is interrupting the recall of another. This
results in forgetting one, or the other, or in some cases both! It is more
prominent in situations where the memories are similar to one another.
Choose one study in which the effects of interference were
investigated. Briefly outline what the participants had to do in the
study.
Baddeley & Hitch both wanted to find out whether or not interference was
a better explanation for forgetting rather than time. They asked rugby
players to try and remember the names of the teams that they had played
thus far in that particular season every week. The majority of players had
missed games - some may have played a team a couple of weeks back,
and maybe even more.
Briefly discuss one limitation of interference as an explanation of
forgetting.
A limitation of the interference theory in memory is that it lacks ecological
validity. There is a much greater chance for interference to be shown in
the laboratory studies, suggesting that it is not true to real life. The
stimulus that is mainly used in lab studies are lists of words, meaning that
participants have to learn these lists. Learning lists of words aren’t the
types of things that we typically learn in every day life, as apposed to the
likes of learning people’s faces, their birthdays, the ingredients, etc.
Therefore, interference may explain forgetting in a lab experiment, but
might not be a good explanation of forgetting in real life. However, a study
by Henk Schmidt was used in real life, which does counteract this idea.
Describe interference as an explanation for forgetting.
One explanation of forgetting is interference. This is when two pieces of
