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examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Interference in Memory
Have you ever mixed up someone's name with someone else's? Or forgotten what you learned in your morning class after studying a different subject in the afternoon? These are examples of interference - when memories get muddled up because they're competing with each other in your brain.
Key Definitions:
Memory isn't like a video recording that plays back exactly what happened. It's an active process where your brain is constantly organising, storing and retrieving information. Interference shows us that memories can affect each other, proving that memory is dynamic rather than static.
Understanding interference helps explain why we forget things and make memory errors. It's particularly important in education (why cramming for exams doesn't work well) and in eyewitness testimony (why witnesses might mix up details of crimes).
Proactive interference happens when old memories interfere with new learning. Think of it as the past getting in the way of the present.
Imagine you've just moved house and keep dialling your old phone number instead of your new one. Your well-established memory of the old number is interfering with your ability to remember the new one.
Key Study: Underwood (1957)
Underwood found that the more word lists participants learned, the harder it became to remember new lists. This showed that previously learned information was interfering with new learning - a clear example of proactive interference.
Retroactive interference occurs when new memories interfere with old ones. Think of it as the present getting in the way of the past.
After learning French for years, you start learning Spanish. Now you find yourself accidentally using Spanish words when trying to speak French. The new language is interfering with your recall of the older one.
Key Study: Jenkins & Dallenbach (1924)
This famous study found that people remembered nonsense syllables better after sleeping than after staying awake. Why? Because during waking hours, new experiences create retroactive interference with what was learned earlier.
OLD → NEW
Old memories disrupt new learning
Example: Mixing up your new teacher's name with last year's teacher
NEW → OLD
New memories disrupt old memories
Example: Forgetting plot details of a book after watching its film adaptation
Psychologists have studied interference using controlled experiments where participants learn lists of words or nonsense syllables. These studies typically show that:
Participants learned a list of adjectives, then learned either similar adjectives, numbers, or nonsense syllables before being tested on the original list. Those who learned similar adjectives showed the most interference, demonstrating that similarity between materials increases interference effects.
The more similar two sets of information are, the more likely they are to interfere with each other. Learning two Romance languages simultaneously (e.g., Spanish and Italian) creates more interference than learning Spanish and Chinese.
The shorter the time between learning different sets of information, the greater the interference. Cramming multiple subjects the night before exams increases interference compared to spacing out your study.
Changing the context between learning sessions can reduce interference. Studying maths in the library and English in your bedroom helps create distinct memory traces that are less likely to interfere.
Interference affects us in many everyday situations:
Elizabeth Loftus conducted groundbreaking research showing how post-event information can interfere with eyewitness memories. In one famous study, participants who were asked "How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" estimated higher speeds than those asked "How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?" This demonstrates how new information (the word "smashed") can interfere with memory of the original event.
Understanding interference can help us develop strategies to improve memory:
Spread out your learning rather than cramming. This reduces the chance of different topics interfering with each other. For example, study biology on Monday, chemistry on Tuesday, rather than both on the same day.
Study in different environments for different subjects. The unique context provides additional memory cues that help reduce interference. Try studying maths in the kitchen and English in your bedroom.
Make information more distinctive and less similar to reduce interference. Use different coloured pens for different subjects, or create vivid, unusual mental images to help memories stand out.
Continue practising material even after you think you've learned it. This makes memories stronger and less susceptible to interference. If you know your French vocabulary, keep practising it before starting Spanish.
When discussing interference in exams, always clearly distinguish between proactive and retroactive interference and provide specific examples of each. Remember to explain how interference demonstrates that memory is an active process and link your answer to real-world applications like education or eyewitness testimony.
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