Normal Forgetting

Forgetting (retention loss) refers to the apparent loss information already encoded and stored in an individual’s long term memory. Forgetting is not really all that bad, and s actually, a pretty natural phenomenon. It is a spontaneous or gradual process in which old memories are unable to be recalled from memory storage. It is subject to delicately balanced optimization that ensures that relevant memories are recalled. Forgetting can be reduced by the repetition and / or more elaborate cognitive processing of information. Reviewing information in ways that involve active retrieval seems to slow the rate of forgetting. In ability to remember what was happened during an exciting or disturbing event is in fact due to inattention. This type of memory loss is knows as ‘anterograde amnesia’. In contrast forgetting of things happened before the disturbing event is known as ‘retrograde amnesia’. Even without emotional disturbance and extinction. The actual learning is forgotten either partly or wholly. Such forgotten is due to the following reasons: 

1. Passage of time : it is commonly assumed that lapse of time itself is responsible for forgetting. According to this the memory traces due to lack of use, gradually deteriorates or will be atrophied. For example, the geometry, algebra and such other subjects learnt at high school are almost forgotten because of disuse for a long time. Herman Ebbinghaus tried to find the relation between remembering and passage of time. From his study it is concluded 

a) 22% of memory of the material learnt was forgotten within 1 hour, 25% in 8 hours, 30% in 24hours, 58% in 6 days and 76% in 30 days. 

b) From this it is clear that forgetting is more, soon after learning than with further passage of time. 

c) Though the total forgetting is more, the amount of time and amount of forgetting are not proportional to each other. 

2. Sleep: sleep is a factor which reduces forgetting. Longer the period of waking, greater is forgetting was found by Jenkins and Dallenbach (1924). These two psychologists suggest that forgetting is brought about more by the destructive effect of other activity during waking. In a study a subject was asked to memorize a list containing 10 non-sense syllables before going to sleep and the other subject was asked to memorize before starting the normal daily activity. The retention of each subject was tested after 1,2,4 and 8 hours of sleep or waking activity. From this study it is found: 

a) That after each successive intervals of sleep, the percentage of non-sense syllable recalled by the subjects were : 70%, 54%, 55% and 56%. As we see the results, there is no further forgetting after one hour of sleep. 

b) On the other hand, the waking subject reproduced; 46%, 31%, 22% and 9% of words. From this it is clear that the more the interval of waking, the greater is forgetting. 

c) The investigator concluded “ that forgetting is not so much a matter of interference inhibition or obliteration of the old by the new. 

3. Relative inactivity: from the studies on cockroaches it is found that it is not per see that makes ur forget, but what happens in time causes forgetting. The activity that takes place between original learning and recalling of it affects retention adversely. If the activity of learning of something, the effect is still more. 

4. Absence of appropriate stimuli: sometimes forgetting may occur because the appropriate stimuli for recall are absent. We may oblivious to some earlier experiences. It may not be recalled since childhood due to absence of appropriate stimuli. But suddenly we may recall it. This is because, some sensory stimuli which is associated with experience due to condition at the time of original experience provokes it. As we do not know the relation between the sensory stimulus and the experience we recall, as experience of some stimulus suddenly, and we will be surprised at it. So author Penfield states “ regardless of the nature of the memory traces, it is quite evident that, we sometimes forget because the stimuli for recall for activation of the traces are lacking. 

5. Obliteration Memory Traces: certain conditions obliterate memory traces. One such condition is electroconvulsive shock ,(ESC), which is used in the treatment of mental patients. This ESC produces amnesia for event which immediately precedes it. Patients forget the preparation made just preceding the shock, his admission to the hospital, and even the shock give to him. Emotional shock will also have all the same effect on retention because it also interferes with consolidation of the memory traces. This is observed even from amnesia for events just preceding emotional upset. In one of the studies a college student who has seated in very dim lighted room, was given a list of non-sense syllable to learn. After learning, to recall as many nonsense syllable as he could. He was given mirth provoking jokes and then asked to recall. From the result it is clear that there was no effect of jokes on recall of the non-sense syllable. Another time unexpectedly he was subjected to a marked emotional upset after recalling a list of non-sense syllable just presented. This is, back of the chair made to collapse, an electric shock was gives to lift arm, an iron bar was dropped from the ceiling, light went off, pistol shot rang out etc. soon after commotion was over., the subject was asked to recall the non-sense syllables again and found his retention was affected very badly 

6. Inhibition: an important cause of forgetting n everyday life the conflict between what has been learn and the, subsequent learning. One interferes with recall of the other. With respect to retention there is negative transfer. It learning of one habit interferes with retention of subsequent habit, it is called proactive inhibition. Learning of second habit interferes with recalling of first habit it is known as retroactive inhibition. 

a) Proactive inhibition: if the earlier learning interferes with later learning and inhibits, it is known as proactive inhibition. Proactive inhibition may be due to ‘intrusion’ where there is substitution of word or word from one’s own vocabulary for the word one read’s actually. If the previous learning is stronger than the present one interferes with and even destroys the later learning. On the other hand, if the earlier learning is poorer than later one, then the proactive inhibition is less. If there is greater similarity between the earlier and later learning, proactive inhibition is greater. 

b) Retroactive inhibition: interference and inhibition of the earlier learning by later learning is known as retroactive inhibition. This is one of the major causes of forgotten in everyday life. The interpolated activity between the original learning and recall of it causes forgetting. If the interpolated activity is similar and if it follows immediately after original learning, retroactive inhibition is greater. On the other hand, if the original and interpolated activities are dissimilar and one follows the other with time gap, retroactive inhibition is lee. Thus there is a close relationship between the degree of forgetting and the similarity of the interpolated activity, which causes retroactive inhibition. 

7. Set of preparedness: forgetting depends upon our preparedness to learn and to remember. In the absence of preparedness, our learning will not only be delayed but also the learnt materials will be forgotten soon. Further if the set is in the wrong direction, we go on recalling only the unnecessary thing and not the thing we want. Unless we change the direction of set, our recalling continues in the same direction. 

8. Meaningless material: meaningless material not only takes more time to learn but also will be forgotten soon. The meaningless material does not cause attention and interest, and hence the memory traces caused will be poor or vague. This naturally causes forgetting. 

9. Motivational factor: tasks which are interrupted before completion are more likely to be recalled than the tasks which are completed. This phenomenon is known as “Bhuma Zeigarnic effect”. The reason is that the incomplete task threaten the self-esteem and hence remember. Another explanation is the moment the task is accepted, the individual develops tension. The tension continues until the task is completed. So the continuation of tension makes one to remember better than the completed tasks. When the task is completed the tension will be forgotten. 

10. Social factors: the factors in the social environment also influence how much is remembered. In one study the effect of ‘group atmosphere on recall’ was made. The subjects were divided into 40groups of 4 persons in each. A story was read to each group. Immediately afterwards the members were asked to write it down as they remembered it, without talking to any member of the group. Then each group was asked to select a leader and to recall together the story as completely as possible. Finally each subject was asked to recall his individual recollection. From the above study it is clear: 

a) Group recall was superior to individual recall in all classes. 

b) Individual recall following the group discussion was superior t individual recall immediately after reading. 

c) This superiority of group recall was more marked in the co-operative groups than in the competitive groups ( Yuker 1955)