College students who memorized 20 lists of words (one list each day)recalled only 15 percent of the last list. Students who learned only one list recalled 80 percent of it. This is best explained by which theory of forgetting?
A)memory decay
B)interference
C)state-dependent learning
D)encoding failure

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is best explained by interference theory, which suggests that the ability to remember certain information is impaired by previously learned information (proactive interference) or by learning new information (retroactive interference). In this case, the memorization of multiple lists likely caused interference, making it harder for students to recall the last list compared to students who only learned one list and did not have their memory interfered with by additional lists.

College Students Who Memorized 20 Lists of Words (One List