Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Forgetting01:21

Forgetting

266
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...
266
Serial Position Effect01:03

Serial Position Effect

395
The serial position effect is a cognitive phenomenon where individuals are more likely to recall the first and last items in a list compared to those in the middle. This effect is divided into the primacy effect and the recency effect. The primacy effect is observed when the initial items in a list are remembered better. This occurs because these items are rehearsed more frequently or receive more elaborative processing, allowing them to be encoded into long-term memory more effectively. For...
395
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

337
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...
337
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

465
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...
465
Chunking01:12

Chunking

315
Chunking is a powerful cognitive technique that improves short-term memory retention by organizing information into smaller, more manageable units. The brain, limited by working memory capacity, can more easily process and store information when it is divided into "chunks" rather than presented as discrete, unrelated elements. Chunking is especially useful when dealing with large amounts of information, such as numerical sequences, words, or complex ideas.
The principle behind chunking...
315
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

856
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the...
856

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Theta band activity during event-file retrieval is influenced by stimulus salience in the preceding action episode.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same author

Explaining SCAN connectivity and hyperconnectivity through psychological theories of perception-action binding.

Frontiers in human neuroscience·2026
Same author

Items that are subject to retrieval-induced forgetting show slowed forgetting over time.

Memory (Hove, England)·2026
Same author

The influence of free choice on recognition memory in the face of distraction.

Memory (Hove, England)·2025
Same author

A multilab investigation into the N2pc as an indicator of attentional selectivity: Direct replication of Eimer (1996).

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2025
Same author

Making guesses during learning can be beneficial for older adults' memory.

Psychology and aging·2025
Same journal

Effects of integrating a structured design thinking strategy into generative AI-supported design learning on students' design achievement, creative self-efficacy, and problem-solving skills.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Fukushima treated water release and marine sports.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Mindful parenting and preschoolers' screen dependency behavior: the mediating role of parent-child relationship and the moderating role of effortful control.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Dynamic relationships among first-year university students' critical thinking, academic self-concept, and student engagement: a cross-lagged study.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

The association between academic major identity and career decision-making difficulty among Chinese college students: a sequential indirect association model of psychological capital and career adaptability.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Job quality and fertility intentions among Chinese migrant workers: the role of traditional fertility beliefs.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.3K

Does Amount of Pre-cue Encoding Modulate Selective List Method Directed Forgetting?

Oliver Kliegl1, Bernhard Pastötter2, Karl-Heinz T Bäuml1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Regensburg University, Regensburg, Germany.

Frontiers in Psychology
|August 28, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers found that people can selectively forget irrelevant information while remembering relevant information, even with longer lists. This selective directed forgetting demonstrates a flexible inhibitory mechanism in memory.

Keywords:
directed forgettingepisodic memoryforgettinglist lengthselectivity

More Related Videos

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories
08:53

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

Published on: November 14, 2018

10.0K
A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
08:45

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets

Published on: December 5, 2014

9.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.3K
Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories
08:53

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

Published on: November 14, 2018

10.0K
A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
08:45

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets

Published on: December 5, 2014

9.5K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Memory Research
  • Human Information Processing

Background:

  • Previous studies demonstrated selective directed forgetting (SDF) for irrelevant information when presented with short lists.
  • This effect allowed forgetting of irrelevant items without impacting recall of relevant items.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the selective directed forgetting effect extends to longer lists of information.
  • To determine the generalizability of SDF beyond short (six-item) lists to longer (12-item) lists.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1 replicated SDF using short lists (six relevant, six irrelevant items).
  • Experiment 2 tested SDF with both short (six items) and longer (12 items) lists of relevant and irrelevant information.

Main Results:

  • Selective directed forgetting was successfully replicated with short lists in Experiment 1.
  • Experiment 2 confirmed that selectivity in directed forgetting occurs with both shorter and longer lists.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the hypothesis that selective directed forgetting is mediated by a flexible inhibitory mechanism.
  • Results are less consistent with theories suggesting SDF arises solely from changes in mental context.