Describe the Theories of Forgetting.

Decay Theory
This theory assumes that forgetting occurs because memories naturally fade over time. Decay has however received little research support and a classic study carried out by John Jekins and Karl Dallenbach (1924) provided evidence against it.

Interference Theory
This theory assumes forgetting results from some memories interfering with the ability to remember other memories. In proactive interference old memories interfere with new memories while retroactive interference, new memories interfere with old memories.
Interference is stronger when the materials are similar. Since Jekins and Dallenbach’s classic study contradicting decay theory, psychologists have come to favor interference as better explanation of forgetting

Motivation Forgetting
According to Freud, a person may forget a traumatic event by repressing its memory into the unconscious mind. Repression is the process (also considered as a defense mechanism) by which emotionally threatening experiences are banished from the conscious mind to the unconscious mind. Though research findings have tended to discount Freudian repression as an explanation of forgetting,(Holmes, (1974) some evidence suggests that we are motivated to forget emotionally upsetting experiences.
In addition to being motivated to recall or repress certain memories, we may be motivated to recall past events in ways that make them more consistent with our current circumstances much as schemas influence our recall of past events.

Cue-dependence Theory
Forgetiing can sometimes be explained by failure to have or use adequate retrieval cues e.g. oudors that we associate with someone may aid our recall of that person (Schab, 1990). This is known as cue-dependence.
Tip-of –tongue phenomena refers to our inability to recall information that one knows has been stored in long-term memory. Some research done on this phenomena support the concept of encoding specificity. This states that recall will be best when cues that were associated with the encoding of memory are also present during attempts at retrieving it (Tulving & Thomosn, 1973).
Our recall of memories depends not only on cues from the external environment but also on cues from our internal states. The effects on recall of similarity between a person’s internal state during encoding and during retrieval is called state-dependent memory e.g. if memories are encoded when one 9is drunk, they will be recalled better when in that state Our internal states also reflect our moods, which may play a role in a form of state dependency memory called mood-dependency memory, in which our recall of information that has been encoded in a particular mood will be best when we are that mood again (Gordon Bower, 1981). The mood appears to act as a cue for retrieval of memories. Mood dependent memory may account for the self-perpetuating nature of depression as the depressed person recalls more depressing memories and the depressing memories in turn maintain the depression (Jonhson & Magaro, 1987)

Memory Construction
Memory retrieval is partly memory construction and sometimes involves “source amnesia.” Memories are not stored as exact copies; and they certainly are not retrieved as such. Rather, we construct our memories, using both stored and new information. Thus when a child or adult eyewitnesses are subtly exposed to misinformation after an event, they often believe they saw the misleading details as part of the event. People also exhibit source amnesia by attributing something heard, read, or imagined to a wrong source. Because force memories feel like true memories and are equally durable, sincerity not signifies reality.

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Kavungya answered the question on May 8, 2019 at 09:52