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Related Concept Videos

Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Forgetting01:21

Forgetting

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.
Encoding...
Interference: Path Lengths01:10

Interference: Path Lengths

Consider two sources of sound, that may or may not be in phase, emitting waves at a single frequency, and consider the frequencies to be the same.
Two special sources may be considered when they are in phase. This can be easily achieved by feeding the two sources from the same source. An example would be synchronizing the two speakers by feeding them with the same source, such as the sound waves produced by a tuning fork. This setup ensures that the two sources have the same frequency and are...
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

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...
Implicit Memories01:24

Implicit Memories

Implicit memories, also known as non-declarative memories, are long-term memories that function outside of conscious awareness. These memories influence behavior and skills without explicit knowledge. This type of memory is evident in tasks like playing tennis, snowboarding, and texting. Implicit memory has three subsystems: procedural memory, conditioning, and priming. This type of memory is essential in various activities, from everyday tasks to specialized skills.
One key aspect of implicit...
Framing Effects03:26

Framing Effects

Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in different ways based on the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Forgetting at short term: when do event-based interference and temporal factors have an effect?

Pierre Barrouillet1, Gaën Plancher, Alessandro Guida

  • 1Université de Genève, Switzerland. Pierre.Barrouillet@unige.ch

Acta Psychologica
|January 23, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Short-term forgetting involves temporal decay and event-based interference. Deeper memory encoding reduces interference effects, suggesting memory trace nature significantly impacts forgetting dynamics.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Forgetting research yields conflicting results regarding temporal decay versus event-based interference.
  • Divergent findings may stem from methodological variations or differences in memory trace characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate sources of divergence in short-term forgetting research.
  • Examine the influence of methodological factors and memory trace properties on forgetting.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments manipulated distracting tasks (articulatory suppression, attentional demand) during retrieval.
  • A second set of experiments varied encoding time to alter memory trace depth.
  • Computer-paced tasks ensured precise temporal control.

Main Results:

  • Computer-paced distractors replicated event-based interference effects.
  • Increased encoding time abolished event-based interference but not temporal effects.
  • Forgetting dynamics appear dependent on the nature of memory traces.

Conclusions:

  • Short-term forgetting is influenced by a complex interplay of temporal factors and event-based interference.
  • Memory trace characteristics, particularly depth, modulate the impact of interference.
  • Findings challenge simpler models of forgetting, highlighting the role of memory representation.