Interferência retroativa: o esquecimento como uma interrupção na consolidação da memória

Abstract

Although experimenting with forgetting is complex, forgetting is not only a condition experienced by individuals every day but also an extremely important concept in memory science. Some theories that attempt to defi ne the science of forgetting are presented in this study; however, we have focused here on the theory of interference, retroactive interference (RI) in particular. RI is the interference that occurs when a task or piece of information is inserted between the presentation of target information and its subsequent recall. Although RI can be explained as competition between items, some have now proposed that it results from the interruption of the process of memory consolidation, through which information become stable; neural processes following the initial recording of information contribute to the defi nitive-or, at least, longer lasting-record of this information. RI disrupts post-learning processes, resulting in the loss of these materials. This study proposes a deeper investigation of RI and memory consolidation to obtain a better understanding of this important concept, seeking to deepen knowledge of this hypothesis and other possible causes of forgetting.