Interference Theory

Interference theory is an account in the psychology of memory holding that information stored in long-term memory can become difficult or impossible to retrieve into short-term memory because other memories interfere with it, competing for the same limited retrieval processes. Because an enormous number of memories are encoded in long-term storage, the central challenge of retrieval is picking out the specific memory needed and working with it within the temporary capacity of short-term memory, and the theory holds that the timing of when memories were encoded relative to one another affects how strongly they interfere with each other. Two forms of interference are recognized: proactive interference, in which earlier learning disrupts the recall of newer information, and retroactive interference, in which newer learning disrupts the recall of information learned earlier.