FORGETTING and REMEMBERING

Why We Forget

Did you know that about 60% of the material that you read is lost in the first hour after reading?

The primary reason we forget is:
Interference or "The Confusion Factor": e.g. mental overcrowding, multi-tasking. The more similar the event or fact that intervenes, the more likely you will forget.

Other reasons we forget are:

• Negative attitude or self concept e.g. "I have a lousy memory"
• Underlearning: not learned well enough and is easily forgotten
• Disuse: materials is most rapidly lost after initial learning (see statistic above)
• Changed cues: the right cue is missing e.g. you studied one way but the test question is presented in another way
• Lack of attention/ effort/ concentration

Reasons for Forgetting (17 KB)

How We Remember

We remember by: Thinking → Encoding → Rehearsing → Retrieving
We remember in pictures.

Memory is helped by:

• Organization and order
• Funnel approach: moving from general to specific
• Associations/ connections with prior knowledge
• Personal meaning - emotions
• Grouping or chunking

Long term memory is helped by

• Repeating
• Reciting
• Rehearsing : reciting or repeating but in the actual place you need to remember the information
• Elaborating (deep processing)
• Connecting
• Teaching someone

Forgetting: Solutions (18 KB)

 

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