THEORIES OF FORGETTING : LACK OF CONSOLIDATION

Memory also relies on biological processes – when we make a new memory, out brain changes in some way.

Neural Connections

The human brain has roughly 100 billion neurons ( brain cells) , which are designed to receive, process and transmit information. Similar to other cells in the body, neurons have a nucleus and cytoplasm, but they differ in that they also have distinct cellular extensions called axons and dendrites.

Axons allow neurons to send information to neighboring cells.

Dendrites serve as cellular “antennae” for receiving signals from other cells.

Brain cells are not joined to each other – there is a very small gap between each cell called the synapse.

ACTIVITY ; Follow this link for a demonstration of how the synapse works.

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers which pass across the synapse and carry messages from one cell to another. Each neuron can make over a thousand connections with neighboring cells.

Neurotransmitters can either inhibit (prevent) or stimulate(encourage) the performance of the neurones. Consolidation theory argues that this process of modifying and changingbrain cells(neurones) when you learn new information is called consolidation.

Recently formed memories that are still being consolidated are especially vulnerable to interference and forgetting.

New memories may be vivid but fragile – easily forgotten whereas old memories may be more vague but robust – they last a long time.

Research Evidence : Drachman (1979)

Aim : to investigate how the process of consolidating a new memory can be disrupted, increasing forgetting.

Method : a drug which blocked certain neurotransmitters was given to the experimental group. The control group did not get the drug.

Participants had to learn a list of words and then recall them after 60 seconds.

Results : the control group remembered twice as many words as the experimental group.

Conclusion: To consolidate a memory, certain neurotransmittersareimportant. If this biological process is disrupted, this means that the memory cannot be formed in the first place. (You cannot remember what you did not put in to your memory!!!)

Other research Evidence :

  • Jenkins and Dallenbach's (1924) classic study showed that there is much less forgetting when participants sleep between learning and test—this is explained as a reduction in disruption to the consolidation process.
  • More recent research by Gais et al ( 2006) also supports this argument. Follow the link to Gais’s research. (But be warned – this is a full research paper – it’s not written especially for AS students !!!).
  • People who drink excessive alcohol sometimes suffer from "blackout" – a failure to remember what happened when they were drunk. This is probably due to a failure in consolidation because the alcohol affected the neurotransmitters at the synapse.

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E.Day/Cog/Theories of forgetting/Lack of consolidation.