Forgetting

- Involves the complete loss or inability to recall previously saved information

- Failure in memory retrieval
- Minds way to manage the information it holds which helps maintain our sanity

Causes of Forgetting
1. Encoding Failure
- It refers to the brain's occasional failure to create a memory link.
- The failure to store the information.
- The info was never in the long term memory in the first place.
Notes:
Encoding - the transformation of information into a memory system.
Long term memory (LTM) - a mental storage where we keep our knowledge or experience for a
relatively permanent period of time.
Tips to avoid encoding failure
Allow a lot or enough time to save information in your brain, encode infos one at a time to avoid
missing important concepts.

2. Memory Decay and Disuse

Memory Decay weakening or fading of memory traces due to mere passage time
o According to Trace Decay Theory of Forgetting, memory traces (changes in our
brains neurons and activity when new memory is formed) may be forgotten in time
because of either introduction of new memories or disuse.
Memory Disuse lack of frequent attempts to recall information because of lack of need for
them
There are memory traces that we have established so well in the past which are not susceptible
to decay.

3. Cue-Dependent Forgetting
- aka RETRIEVAL FAILURE.
- The opposite of Encoding Failure.
- This time the information was successfully encoded in long-term memory but is not accessible
to recall.
- Failure to recall information without memory cues.

MEMORY CUES
A. Semantic cues
- recall by association
- some memories can not be recalled by simply thinking about them rather you must think
about something associated with it.
B. State-dependent cues
- governed by the state of mind and being at the time of encoding.
 - the emotional or mental state of the person, such as being inebriated, drugged, upset,
anxious or happy are key cues.
C. Context-dependent cues
- dependent on environment and situation.

4. Interference
- All the experiences that go between reviewing stage and testing situation
- Anything that may impede in the recall of an old memory because of the introduction of
the new one, and vice versa
- Interference theory states that forgetting occurs because memories interfere with and
disrupt one another, in other words forgetting occurs because of interference from
other memories (Baddeley, 1999).

Two Types of Interference:

- Applies for both short-term and ling-term memories
- The more similar or the higher the association between the two sets of memories, the
higher the likelihood for interference

1. Retroactive Interference new memories disrupt old memories

2. Proactive Interference - old memories interfere with the recall of new memories