Correct Answer - Option 2 : Interference theory
The correct answer is Interference Theory
Theories of forgetting:
- Psychologists have created five theories of forgetting in an attempt to explain how and why memories slip from our memories.
- These five theories include the displacement theory, decay theory, interference theory, retrieval failure theory, and consolidation theory.
Interference theory of forgetting:
- The interference theory was the dominant theory of forgetting throughout the 20th century.
- It asserts that the ability to remember can be disrupted both by our previous learning and by new information.
- In essence, we forget because memories interfere with and disrupt one another.
- For example, by the end of the week, we won’t remember what we ate for breakfast on Monday because we had many other similar meals since then.
- The first study on interference was conducted by German psychologist John A. Bergstrom in 1892.
- He asked participants to sort two decks of word cards into two piles.
- When the location of one of the piles changed, the first set of sorting rules interfered with learning the new ones, and sorting became slower.
Hence, the inference theory is related to the process of Forgetting.
- The Need Reduction Theory attempted to explain why humans are motivated to do the things that they do.
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Interference Theory is a psychological theory that explains some features of the memory. It states that interference occurs when the learning of something new causes forgetting of older material on the basis of competition between the two.
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Reinforcement theory is a psychological principle maintaining that behaviors are shaped by their consequences
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Information processing theory is a cognitive theory that uses computer processing as a metaphor for the workings of the human brain. The theory describes how people focus on information and encode it into their memories.
