Question

Explain the theories of forgetting in detail.

Answer 1

Forgetting refers to the failure to retain what has been learnt. Forgetting is the loss, either permanent or temporary of the ability to recall or recognize something that was learnt earlier. According to Hermann Ebbinghaus. Most rapid forgetting occurred within the first hour after learning. After one day, generally, only 30% of the material can be recalled.

The causes of forgetting are:

1. Trace decay - Learning leaves a trace in the brain. If these memory traces are not used for a long time, then they begin to fade/decay and sometimes disappear altogether leading to forgetting.
2. Trace distortion - Some researchers believe that memory traces do not decay but get distorted. Hence, interpretation plays a major role in remembering.
3. Interference - This view explains that we forget because new material interferes with the retrieval of previously learnt information or old memories inhibit retention of new material.
   The two types of interference are proactive interference and retroactive interference
   (a) Retroactive interference (backward acting interference) - It is the partial or complete forgetting of previously learned material due to the interference of new material. For e.g., At a party, Suman is introduced to many new people. By the end of the party, she has forgotten the names of many to whom she was first introduced.
   (b) Proactive interference (forward acting interference) - It is partial or complete forgetting of newly learnt material due to interference by previously learnt material. for e.g., if a child is habituated to mispronouncing a word (old learning) and in spite of a teacher telling him the correct pronunciation (new material) he will still say the word as before.
   
4. Motivated forgetting - People may consciously or unconsciously forget unwanted memories. The two levels of motivated forgetting are repression and thought suppression
   (a) Repression - According to Sigmund Freud, we subconsciously push unwanted or painful memories into the unconscious for e.g., a boy who was kidnapped as an infant, may forget it, but have difficulty in trusting others throughout life.
   (b) Thought suppression - It is a conscious effort to forget about painful experiences of life for e.g., a person who was falsely implicated in a criminal case may refuse to talk about it.
5. Retrieval failure - The person knows something but cannot remember it when needed. This occurs due
   (i) to the inadequate encoding of material
   (ii) improper storage
   (iii) incorrect retrieval cues
   (iv) the person is under emotional pressure at that time of recall.