Forgetting is simply the inability to recall information you once stored in memory. Psychologists trace it back to fading memory traces, interference from competing information, and missing retrieval cues.
Exams love testing proactive versus retroactive interference, so here’s a memory hook: **proactive** means the past interferes with the present, while **retroactive** means the present interferes with the past. Students also mix up cue-dependent forgetting with decay, and the difference matters: cue-dependent forgetting means the memory is still there but lacks a trigger, while decay means the physical trace itself has faded away.
Part of Basic Psychology, module “Memory”. Sign in (free) to read the full notes, flashcards and the lesson quiz.