Over time short term memory vanishes (after about 15-20 seconds)

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Forgetting is defined as the loss of information from long-term memory. This is a universal human experience, manifesting in everyday situations like forgetting a name, a birthday, or the location of personal items like car keys. Such memory failures, while common, can be a source of frustration and embarrassment, underscoring the fragile nature of human memory.

Forgetting

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience

Decay (memory)

Refers to memory deficits and loss, specifically the loss of long-term memory resulting from disease, physical injury, or psychological trauma. 

Amnesia

* Encoding failure
* Schacter’s Seven Sins of Memory
* Interference

Perspectives on Forgetting

Which of the following scenarios provides the clearest example of forgetting, defined as the loss of information that was once successfully stored in long-term memory?

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