Do we really forget?

Many people think that the human mind is too complex to explain, and memory is no exception. Even though vast amounts of research have been carried out into how we remember (and forget!) things, nobody knows for sure the model on which human memory is based.

There are, nonetheless, two main reasons for which psychologists think we 'forget' information:

• You store information in your memory but are unable to remember it when you need to, but perhaps can at a later date. In this case, information is inaccessible
• The human memory simply forgets information, permenantly, and the physical traces of the memory disappear. In which case, information is unavailable

How we forget

It's though that how we forget differs depending on whether a memory is stored in our long term or short term memory (see multi-store explanation).

In Short-term memory:

There are three ways in which you can forget information in the STM:

Decay

This occurs when you do not 'rehearse' information, ie you don't contemplate it. The physical trace of such memory is thought to fade over time.

 

Displacement

Displacement is quite literally a form of forgetting when new memories replace old ones. Everyone knows the potentially vast capacity of memory, particularly long-term memory, but research by Norman has shown that numbers can replace old ones being memorised (using the serial probe technique).

 

Interference

It's sometimes difficult to remember information if you've been trying to memorise stuff that's similar, eg words which sound similar (in 1966, psychologist Baddeley found that participants of his study found it easier to remember words which were more distinguished). Interference can either be proactive (this is when old memories interfere with new ones) or retroactive, when new information distorts old memories.

In Long-term memory:

Long term is supposed to be limitless in its capacity and length in terms of time. Still though, we can forget information through decay (as in short-term forgetting) and interference from other memories.

Conclusion

Although we evidently can 'forget' information, it's unknown whether information does actually disappear from memory. In hypnosis, memories which we never knew still existed can be recalled from early childhood using regression, calling into question - can we really forget?

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Memory and Chewing Gum:  How research at two universities found memory recall can be improved by chewing gum. Memory and Association:  Has someone you know come up to you in the street, and try as you might, you just could not remember this person's name? Put Names and Faces together and don't forget names again with this associative memory technique. Conditioning Introduction:  What is conditioning? What Pavlov's dogs experiment teaches us about how we learn. Craik & Lockhart (1972) Levels of Processing Theory:  Traditional theories of memory segmented human memory into different stores ­ for example, the multi-store model with sensory, short-term and long-term stores. Find out how Craik & Lockhart's Level's of processing theory opposes this. Craik & Tulving (1975) Levels of Processing:  Craik & Tulving wanted to test whether the level of processing affected how well we remember information. Read an explanation and evaluation of this research. What affects Classical Conditioning?:  Issues affecting classical conditioning. More articles in this section... Still looking? Search this site:

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