Interference (Memory)

Memories getting crowded out by other memories, one of the main reasons we forget.

vs trace decay

Interference is competition between memories. Trace decay says memories just fade on their own over time. Different mechanisms, often hard to disentangle.

• Proactive interference: old info disrupts new info (you keep dialing your old phone number)
• Retroactive interference: new info disrupts old info (a new language pushes out the one you used to know)