Glossary
Retroactive Interference
What is retroactive interference?
Retroactive interference happens when new learning makes older information harder to retrieve. Learning a new answer to a familiar question can make the old answer harder to recall.
Example of retroactive interference
You learn a new password for an account. Later, when asked to recall the old password, the new one keeps coming to mind. The direction matters: new learning is interfering with an older answer.
How it works
Similar information can compete at recall. In four experiments, Bower and colleagues found that interference depended on how clearly cues pointed to distinct answers and how many competing items were available. New learning does not always interfere with old learning; the material and the way you try to recall it matter.
Can retroactive interference be reduced?
Start by identifying which answers compete and which cues distinguish them. Are you trying to retrieve two similar answers from the same prompt? The research described here makes cue clarity relevant.
Retroactive vs. proactive interference
Difficulty recalling something does not necessarily mean the memory has been erased. Sometimes another answer is getting in the way. This runs in the opposite direction to proactive interference, where earlier learning disrupts recall of newer information.