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Forgetting

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Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
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Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Published on: November 14, 2018

Retrieval-induced forgetting and mental imagery.

Jo Saunders¹, Marcelle Fernandes, Liv Kosnes

¹Swansea University, Swansea, Wales. j.saunders@swan.ac.uk

Memory & Cognition

|August 15, 2009

Summary

Mental imagery can cause retrieval-induced forgetting, impairing memory recall similar to retrieval practice. This effect, observed in various recall tasks, highlights the inhibitory processes involved in memory retrieval.

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Memory Research

Background:

Retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) is a phenomenon where recalling specific information impairs memory for related, non-recalled information.
Selective retrieval is known to trigger inhibitory processes that contribute to forgetting.
The role of mental imagery in memory modification, particularly in inducing forgetting, remains less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether mental imagery can initiate retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF).
To compare the effects of mental imagery on memory recall with established methods like retrieval practice and postevent questioning.
To examine the conditions under which mental imagery-induced RIF occurs and its persistence.

Main Methods:

Four experiments were conducted using word pairs or narratives.

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

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Participants engaged in selective mental imagery of specific details from presented information.

Memory recall was assessed using category cued recall and cued recall tasks.

Main Results:

Mental imagery induced a pattern of memory impairment similar to retrieval practice and postevent questioning.
Retrieval-induced forgetting was observed across various recall paradigms, including category cued recall and cued recall.
The forgetting effect dissipated over a 24-hour delay, particularly when no pre-delay test was administered.
Mental imagery from both first-person and third-person perspectives elicited retrieval-induced forgetting.

Conclusions:

The retrieval processes engaged during mental imagery can initiate retrieval-induced forgetting.
Mental imagery acts as a mechanism capable of inducing memory impairment through inhibitory processes.
These findings contribute to understanding the malleability of memory and the underlying mechanisms of forgetting.