FORGETTING problems:
Forgetting Curve (Storage Decay):
Forgetting Curve (Storage Decay):
a graphical representation of retention rate that indicates memory fading over
time.
Description of the curve: the curve shows that retention rate drops suddenly
over the first few days, and then later continues to move gradually over the
course of the year.
Memory losses after learning, because the brain removes non - essential
information without revision, repetition, and reinforcement.
Reinforcement, revision, and repetition lead to slow down retention rate,
maintaining higher levels of retention rate.
Memory is influenced by encoding failure, inadequate
retrieval, and interference:
Encoding failure: the information presented is forgotten due to this information not
being stored in LTM due to lack of attention and understanding, shallow processing (not
deeply interacting with information) and insufficient encoding.
Solution: the active engagement and conducive environment that is effective for
learning.
The initial information is not encoded, making the information seem as though it was not
stored into LTM due to lack of attention and understanding.
Memory is influenced by encoding failure, inadequate
retrieval, and interference:
Inference: the memories in the mind are
competing leading to not remember certain
details.
1. Proactive interference: the ability of old
information to inhibit recall of new
information because old information is
similar to new information, or that old
information always keeps coming to our
mind.
Memory is influenced by encoding failure, inadequate
retrieval, and interference:
2. Retroactive interference: the ability of
new information to inhibit old
information. Like only a new password is
recalled always blocking the recall of an
old password.
- Recall of new information to be remembered due to
their memory competing with each other.
Memory is influenced by encoding failure, inadequate
retrieval, and interference:
Tip of tongue phenomenon (inadequate retrieval): the ability of
temporarily being unable to recall a known piece of information
(we already know the information but it is difficult to recall),
despite the fact that it is in tip of our tongues.
The correct answers are recalled after a short delay!!!!
Tip of tongue phenomenon is an example of retrieval
failure in which the pathways or connections for
memory are being temporarily blocked.
Retrieval Failure: the information is
encoded and stored into LTM, this
information is encoded and stored but
the retrieval cues are insufficient and
missing. This highlights the
importance of having strong and
multiple retrieval cues that can help in
storing and retrieving information
effectively.
This tells us that forgetting is not about
the loss of information (encoding failure)
but instead due to the matter of access.
Repression: a concept discovered by Sigmund
Freud , a psychological defence mechanism in
which the unconscious pushes or blocks the
distressful, painful, and traumatic experiences
out of the conscious awareness to protect the
individual from emotional pain.
The repressed memories are not permanently
erased, but repressed by the unconscious and is
inaccessible to the consciousness (EGO), but this
can later affect the individual in their adulthood
by affecting their behaviours and emotional
resposnes.
Memory accuracies can be affected by source amnesia,
constructive memory and misinformation effect through memory
consolidation and imagination inflation:
Source Amnesia: the ability of an
individual to recall information but be
unable to recall the where, when and how
the information was learned, leading to
confusion about the origin of information
and difficulty distinguishing between
personal experiences and something
you’ve learned from others.
Deja vu: an eerie feeling that occurs due
to the brain’s memory systems being
mismatched leading to a feeling of new
experiences seeming oddly familiar.
Constructive memory: the process in which we
don’t only retrieve information but also actively
reconstruct past experiences when we recall
them through memory consolidation and
imagination inflation.
Memory consolidation: integration between new
information and existing experiences that
are influenced by prior knowledge, experiences and
events.
Imagination inflation: there are gaps in memory that are
filled with imaginative details, that make false memories,
and reconsolidation in which the memory is updated and
changed based on new experiences, showing that memory
is not accurate, flexible and rebuilt.
Misinformation Effect:
The misinformation effect occurs when post-
event information distorts a person's memory
of the original event. This phenomenon was
extensively studied by psychologist Elizabeth
Loftus, who demonstrated how misleading
questions or false details can alter eyewitness
testimony. For example, if someone witnesses
a car accident and later hears a news report
stating the driver was speeding, they may
falsely recall seeing the car moving faster than
it actually was.
Alzheimer’s Disease:
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disorder that
leads to memory loss, cognitive decline, and
behavioral changes. It is the most common
cause of dementia and is characterized by the
buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in
the brain, which disrupt neural communication.
Symptoms range from mild forgetfulness in
early stages to severe impairment in later
stages, affecting daily activities.
Anterograde Amnesia:
Anterograde amnesia is the inability
to form new memories following an
injury or illness. People with this
condition can recall past events but
struggle to retain new information. It
is often associated with damage to
the hippocampus, which plays a
crucial role in memory formation.
Retrograde amnesia: refers to the loss of
pre-existing memories before the onset of
amnesia due to head injury or trauma. It
can vary in severity and is categorized
into three types:
1. Mild severity: able to recall earlier life
and unable to recall recent events.
2. Moderate severity: able to recall earlier
life and unable to few of memories .
3. very severe: able to recall earlier life
and unable to recall years of memories.
Infantile Amnesia: The inability of
adults to recall memories from
early childhood, typically before
the age of three to four years. This
occurs due to ongoing brain
development, particularly in the
hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex is not fully developed,
which is responsible for memory
storage.