Briefly evaluate interference as an explanation of forgetting

A strength of interference is that it has been supported by research. In one study, participants were given a word list to recall to 100% accuracy, and then a further list of varying similarity depending on the condition (for example synonyms, antonyms, or numbers). They were then asked to recall the original list. The more similar the second list, the worse recall of the first list was. This proves that interference is greater when information is similar. However, studies such as this have been criticised as they don't use meaningful, every day material, meaning that their application is limited.

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Answered by Ellie B. Psychology tutor

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