Question

Much of the information in our long-term memory cannot be remembered because it is forgotten. Which of the following has been proposed to explain forgetting?

O because of decay - memories that are not used fade away
O because of interference - old material interferes with the ability to remember new material and new material interferes with the ability to remember older material
O because of autobiographical memory
O because of the fact that the three storage areas for memories in the brain are sysystematically destroyed over time

Answer 1

Forgetting in long-term memory is mainly explained by decay, where unused memories fade, and interference, where new and old memories compete, causing difficulty in recall.

Step-by-step explanation:

The proposed explanations for forgetting include decay of memory traces over time and interference, which can be either proactive or retroactive. Decay refers to the idea that memories not used fade away; over time, the trace of the memory becomes less active until it is eventually forgotten. Interference involves competition between old and new memories; proactive interference occurs when old information inhibits the ability to remember new information, and retroactive interference happens when new learning impairs the recall of older information.

Both decay and interference have been demonstrated through research, such as the trigram experiments by Peterson and Peterson (1959) that showed a rapid decline in short-term memory recall over seconds, suggesting decay. Keppel and Underwood's (1962) examination pointed towards interference affecting memory retention. Consequently, these proposed ideas highlight the challenges in maintaining long-term memory (LTM) accuracy.