How do we forget?

Forgetting it is necessary to consider as result of activity of normal factors of our memory which promote that the insignificant information was less accessible at inquiry about its reception. Nevertheless forgetting does not mean full disappearance of the aforementioned information, it is a question only about «weakened» used ways of access. It seems, that in process of forgetting there is a disappearance of already established neural communications, hence, memoirs activation would need a series of events or special keys of restoration.

Effect of accumulation

Usually this process is reversible. In this sense when the person tries to learn again the information which has been forgotten by it, the smaller quantity of time for its studying, than in a case when it would be a question of new data is required to it. This phenomenon has received the name «effect of accumulation. It is carried out, for example, in the course of survey by the person of lexicon of language which it studied in the childhood but on which subsequently has ceased to speak. When it comes back to studying of this language, it is required to it to less time than if it was a question of language absolutely to it unfamiliar. There is a repeated activation of the information, it becomes more accessible to a secondary establishment of neural communications. Well, and what can be occurrence process of forgetting?

Moderate forgetfulness

Though, as shown further ( «the Pathologies negatively influencing on the memory», with. 90), forgetting speaks problems of neurologic character, in this section we will stop on the moderate forgetfulness which is considered as an everyday occurrence, caused by laws about disuse data and an interference.

The Law about disuse data

According to the above-stated postulate, all information which does not find practical application or is not supported in an active condition, erased from the memory: in due course it is simply forgotten how if a cell in which the memoirs register, has simply disappeared.

The interference Law

Being alternative to previous position, this theory asserts, that a principal cause of forgetting is not time proprocession, and activity or the intervention occurring between training and the moment of manufacture of memoirs. There are 2 basic of interference type.

  • The Interference of return actions (retroactive). the Latest information is more significant, than kept earlier, therefore the memoirs of the old information demand more expenses. Thus, when the person remembers a new phone number of the friend, to it usually happens more difficultly to recollect its old number.
  • The Preventive (proactive) interference.

The Old information interferes with storing of the new. For example, studying of 2nd foreign language creates hindrances for studying of 3rd language.