Proactive and Retroactive Interference Interference theory is one of several theories that explain why we forget. It posits that memories compete, which means one memory may interfere with another when an individual is trying to retrieve information from long-term memory. There are two kinds of interference: proactive, where old memories interfere with the recall of new memories and retroactive
Interference Theory
Interference, which suggests that an individual may fail to retrieve information from long-term memory because other information interferes, may cause information to be difficult to recall or completely forgotten.
- There are two types of interference: proactive interference and retroactive interference.
Proactive Interference
When an individual is unable to learn new information because old information prevents its retrieval
- Rehearsing older memories helps to recall them easier
- One way to reduce proactive interference is to rehearse the new information through testing or recitation
Critiques
There is a great deal of research backing up the effects of proactive and retroactive interference.
Proactive Interference Examples
During the first month or two of every year, you may find yourself putting the previous year down whenever you write the date down
- Similarly, if you are trying to learn the Italian language but you previously learned Spanish, you might find yourself frequently recalling Spanish words instead of Italian words if you need to use a foreign currency while traveling to another country
Sources
McLeod, Saul. “Proactive and Retroactive Interference.” Simply Psychology, 2018.
Retroactive Interference
Retroactive interference happens when an individual is unable to recall old information because new information prevents its retrieval
- New memories interfere with the retrieval of old memories
- In one study, participants learned a set of German-Japanese word pairs and then a different set as an interference task
- The interference task reduced learning by as much as 20% regardless of how long participants waited between being presented with the learning task and with the interference task
Retroactive Interference Examples
Just like proactive interference, many cases where retroactive interference occur in our daily lives.
- For example, if you learn a lot of theories about communication, but as you learn new theories you have trouble recalling the ones you learned previously, you may incorrectly address them with the name of one of your new colleagues.
