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Continuing influences of to-be-forgotten information

E L Bjork1, R A Bjork

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095-1563, USA.

Consciousness and Cognition
|March 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Humans need to forget to update memory, primarily through retrieval inhibition. This process makes outdated information less accessible but still stored, potentially strengthening unconscious influences.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Human memory requires mechanisms to prevent outdated information from interfering with current recall.
  • Adaptive updating of memory is crucial for efficient cognitive function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To argue for the critical role of forgetting in human memory.
  • To identify retrieval inhibition as the primary mechanism for adaptive memory updating.
  • To explore the potential impact of forgetting on unconscious influences.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical argumentation on the necessity of forgetting.
  • Analysis of retrieval inhibition as a memory management process.
  • Examination of memory recall, recognition, and word-fragment completion measures.

Main Results:

  • Retrieval inhibition selectively reduces the retrievability of outdated information.
  • Forgotten information, though less retrievable, remains intact in memory based on other measures.
  • New learning renders previously acquired information less accessible via retrieval.

Conclusions:

  • Forgetting, mediated by retrieval inhibition, is essential for updating human memory.
  • This adaptive forgetting mechanism ensures current information takes precedence.
  • Speculatively, forgotten events might exert stronger unconscious influences than remembered ones.

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