Types of Forgetting (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

Types of forgetting

• Forgetting occurs when information that was once stored in memory can no longer be accessed or recalled

• Psychologists have identified several reasons why forgetting happens, including:

  • decay

  • displacement

  • retrieval failure

Decay

• Decay happens when we do not pay attention to information entering the sensory store or when memory traces fade over time

• In short-term memory (STM), decay occurs if information is not rehearsed within about 15–30 seconds, causing it to fade and become unavailable

• In long-term memory (LTM), decay can also occur if there is a long delay between learning and recall — the memory trace weakens

  • E.g. forgetting a phone number you just read because you were distracted before repeating it

Displacement

• Displacement occurs because STM has a limited capacity (about six - eight items)

• When STM is full, new information pushes out old information, leading to forgetting

• The displaced information is no longer accessible unless it has been transferred to LTM

  • E.g. you try to remember a list of groceries, but as you add more items, you forget the first few on the list

• Displacement does not occur in LTM, as LTM has unlimited capacity

Retrieval failure (lack of cues)

• Retrieval failure happens when information is stored in memory but cannot be accessed because the necessary cues are missing

  • A cue is a trigger that helps you recall information

    • E.g. smelling a certain perfume may remind you of someone from your past

• Forgetting occurs when you lack the right cue to retrieve the memory

• There are two types:

  • Context cues: returning to the same place where a memory was formed can help recall

    • e.g. remembering what you needed when you go back upstairs)

  • State cues: being in the same emotional or physiological state as when the memory was encoded aids recall

    • e.g. feeling happy both when learning and recalling

• Miles and Hardman (2010) found that people recalled more words when they were in the same physiological state (e.g. riding a bike during learning and recall)