Proactive and Retroactive are regarded as two types of interference that affects the brain mechanism. The interference occurs when someone tries to recall specific information, and at the same time, similar information with the same format gets into the way. The human brain has lots of memories that have been stored over a lifetime with different experiences. Proactive interference occurs when someone tries to recall new information, but it is prevented by old information, for example, someone trying to replace an old address that she/ he had for years with a new one. Retroactive on the other hand is when someone tries to recall past information, but recent information prevents it.
People have several reasons why they forget This includes retrieval failure where people focus on making new memories that are not accessed regularly, and the trace created quickly fades away since the information never made it to the long-term memory. For instance, people go for road trips, games, and movies not to remember but to enjoy themselves. Multi-tasking causes memory failure because each time one switches task he or she forces the brain to reset; hence, it impairs the ability to focus, and this affects the time taken to complete a specific task. Human’s memory is very selective and forgetting plays a significant role in making someone remember essential facts, for example, someone who is paralyzed after an accident has to take time to develop back their memory. There are practical benefits for forgetting which may include, but not limited to allowing someone to discard information that is not needed, while permitting him or her to learn by acquiring different and useful information.
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Psychologists such as Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart had addressed the levels of processing as it affects the profoundness and the prevalence of memory problems. They have debated over the years whether forgetting occurs due to active external or internal factors or through passive mechanisms. Studies done by psychologists show that forgetting occurs due to the turnover of the constitutive molecules that impairs human memory (Ebert et al., 2009). Reviews about forgetting shows that the brain has a mechanism that enables it to erase memory traces. Interference can be passive or active, and this depends on when the information was learned and whether it is deleted by the brain mechanism or maintained.
Memories that evoke guilt and sadness can be suppressed, and by doing this, it disrupts the process that occurs in forming engram (Tolan et al., 1999). Observations discussed by researchers speculate that there exist different mechanisms for forgetting, which affects the memory and integrity of the human brain. Constantly, proactive interference is modulated by functions such as attention control and inhibition of the responses (Köster et al.,2002). People rely on bad memory regularly to remember many things. Forgetting can be beneficial in creative thinking in that it promotes people’s ability to creatively think to make information that is not useful less accessible hence not interfering with access to new ideas and information. In the other hand, forgetting can be disadvantageous in a situation where witnesses forget important details about a crime. Ignoring also help people to live traumatic and painful events of life such as the loss of loved ones in tragic accidents and the only way to ease the pain is to forget the vivid emotional memories that will become less accessible to one conscious and also reduce in power with time.
In conclusion, proactive and retroactive processes are responsible in preventing an individual from forgetting information acquired earlier. The bottom line is forgetting occurs due to the turnover of the constitutive molecules that impairs human memory.
References
Ebert, P. L., & Anderson, N. D. (2009). Proactive and retroactive interference in young adults, healthy older adults, and older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , 15 (1), 83-93.
Köster, E. P., Degel, J., & Piper, D. (2002). Proactive and retroactive interference in implicit odor memory. Chemical Senses , 27 (3), 191-206.
Tolan, G. A., & Tehan, G. (1999). Determinants of short-term forgetting: Decay, retroactive interference, or proactive interference?. International Journal of Psychology , 34 (5-6), 285-292.
