This theory has been proved inadequate on several grounds. If forgetting takes place because memory traces Fig. . : Ebbinghaus’s Curve of Forgetting min.
hr. . hrs. Amount forgotten Amount retained Amount retained (per cent) Amount forgotten (per cent) Time since learning (in days) the recall of your subsequent learning or retroactive (backward moving) which refers to difficulty in recalling what you have learnt earlier because of learning a new material.
In other words, in proactive interference, past learning interferes with the recall of later learning while in retroactive interference the later learning interferes with the recall of past learning. For example, if you know English and you find it difficult to learn French, it is because of proactive interference and if, on the other hand, you cannot recall English equivalents of French words that you are currently memorising, then it is an example of retroactive interference. A typical experimental design that is used to demonstrate proactive and retroactive interference has been presented in Table . .
Forgetting due to Retrieval Failure Forgetting can occur not only because the memory traces have decayed over time (as suggested by the disuse theory) or because independent sets of stored associations compete at the time of recall (as suggested by the interference theory) but also because at the time of recall, either the retrieval cues are absent or they are inappropriate. Retrieval cues are aids which help us in recovering information stored in the memory. This view was advanced by Tulving and his associates who carried out several experiments to show that contents of memory may become inaccessible either due to absence or inappropriateness of retrieval cues that are available/employed at the time of recall. Retroactive Interference Phase Phase Testing Phase Experimental participant/group Learns A Learns B Recalls A Control participant/group Learns A Rests Recalls A Proactive Interference Experimental participant/group Learns A Learns B Recalls B Control participant/group Rests Learns B Recalls B TTTTTable able able able able .
Experimental Designs f