Proactive & Retroactive Interference (AQA A Level Psychology)
Revision Note
Written by: Cara Head
Reviewed by: Lára Marie McIvor
Proactive & retroactive interference
Forgetting refers to a person's loss of ability to recall information and store memories
Forgetting can occur in both short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM)
Interference is an explanation for forgetting and is divided into:
proactive interference (PI)
retroactive interference (RI)
Interference occurs when one memory prevents the retrieval of another memory
Proactive interference
Proactive interference occurs when an older memory interferes with a newer memory, e.g.
the names of previous neighbours are remembered instead of the names of the new neighbours who have just moved in
Retroactive interference
Retroactive interference occurs when a new memory prevents the recall of an older memory, e.g.
the names of new neighbours who have just moved in are remembered but the names of previous neighbours are forgotten
Examiner Tips and Tricks
To help remember the difference between PI and RI you can think of it as 'pro' meaning working forwards, from old to new, and 'retro' meaning working backwards from new to old.
Evaluation
Strengths
Interference occurs in real-life situations (Baddeley & Hitch 1977)
Rugby players were asked to recall names of teams they had played against over one season
Players who had played in the most games had the worst recall
The researchers found that the later, more recent games had interfered with recall of the earlier games
Baddeley & Hitch concluded that interference had occurred to prevent accurate recall
The use of real players recalling real games gives this study good ecological validity
Interference may explain why it is often more difficult to learn a language (e.g. French) if a previous language has been learnt (e.g. Spanish)
The above observation gives the theory good external validity
Limitations
Interference can be temporary, using hints or clues can help with remembering previously forgotten information (Tulving & Psotka 1971)
Much of the research used for studying interference is lab-based using artificial tasks (such as recalling word lists) which means the research has low ecological validity
Worked Example
Here is an example of an AO2 question that you might be asked on this topic.
AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so (the stem is the example given before the question).
Q. Last summer holidays, Rachel read a book about a love story. This summer holiday, she read a different book which was a different love story. At the start of term, her friend Monica asks her about the book she read this summer. Rachel had trouble recalling all the events and characters of the book as she confused them with last summer’s book.
Outline one explanation for forgetting responsible for Rachel’s experience in her recall of her book.
[3 marks]
Model Answer:
Outline the theory:
The interference explanation occurs due to one memory interfering with learning and/or recall of another; [1 mark]
Apply your knowledge to the stem:
Rachel is experiencing proactive interference as her older memories of last summer’s book are interfering with her new memories of this summer’s book; [1 mark]
Elaborate:
Interference is stronger when the material is more similar, this may also explain Rachel’s experience as both books were love stories (similar material); [1 mark]
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