Interference Evaluation

Interference Evaluation

1. McGeoch (1932) has shown that students are more likely to forget information from topics that are similar in nature

   • For example revision of psychology should not be followed by revision of sociology as the learning of one will interfere with the recall of the other

2. Studies by Dallenbach have demonstrated that forgetting is influenced by what happens in the time between learning and recall of information

3. The majority of supporting experiments are lab based and use nonsense syllables to demonstrate interference

   • The research therefore has low ecological validity and interference is much less easier to demonstrate when meaningful real life material is used

4. Other theories have focused on lack of retrieval cues as an explanation of forgetting

   • Interference therory places too much emphasis on activity between the learning of informationand recall, ignoring internal and external cues