Interference in psychology is Definition, concept of theory, types and research

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In everyday communication, the term "interference" is almost never used, since it is a specialized concept in the field of medical and scientific research on the psychology of human memory. The term was first introduced while studying the factors of formation of associative links that affect the memorization of various kinds of information.

The concept of interference

This concept in modern science is used to describe the function of memory in the process of learning or acquiring new skills and abilities. This term is considered as the basis of existing theories about the factors that affect the ability to remember and cause a person to forget.

Based on the available data, we can give the following definition of interference in psychology: this is a phenomenon in which memorized material is replaced under the influence of new information received. The most closely studied interference effectin the field of research of cognitive functions: memory, perception, attention, consolidation of actual skills.

In a general sense, interference in psychology is a state of mutual suppression of processes occurring in parallel in the mind of the subject. The reason for this phenomenon may be the limitation of attention and concentration under the influence of external and internal factors.

In social psychology, interference is a conflict between a person's assessments of the events of the surrounding reality. For example, opposite emotions, moral principles and life priorities.

Classification

A detailed study of the effect of interference is being carried out as part of a research study on the possibilities of memory and the ability to acquire skills in the educational process.

One of the main theories explaining this phenomenon is the work of IP Pavlov, dedicated to the development of reflex skills. According to this study, a classification can be made based on the ability to remember primary information and retain later acquired information.

Proactive interference

Proactive interference in psychology is a phenomenon of deterioration in the memorization of new material under the influence of already memorized information. The subject has difficulty assimilating new data, as the retention process is influenced by already existing memories. The state is enhanced by increasing the volume and detail to remember the data originally received. In some cases, proactive interference increases withan increase in general or conceptual similarity between previously familiar and new material.

Retroactive interference

Retroactive interference in psychology is a weakening of the preservation of the original data against the background of receiving a new amount of information. The degree of interaction, however, increases with an increase in the volume of later data. New information is superimposed on existing memories, distorting them or reducing the ability to accurately reproduce them.

The explanation of the phenomenon of forgetting is based on the assumption that over time and the arrival of new data, old memories are mixed with acquired ones. Studies of this memory impairment are rare. Examples include the analysis of testimonies. As part of such an experiment, it was found that the memories of witnesses of an incident are distorted by repeated repetition of questions and retelling of the event.

Selective interference

In addition to these types, selective interference in psychology is distinguished - this is the interaction of memorized and newly received material, the assimilation of which takes more time. This state manifests itself as a delay in answering a question, due to mnemonic processes as a result of the influence of the sound of the word on the concept itself. For example, one example is the problem of determining the color of the letters of a word if the word itself is the name of some color. Manifestationsselective interference are used in the study of the function of perception and understanding.

Skill interference

Skill is a sequence of actions developed by training or training and brought to automatism. The stability of a skill depends on the properties of memory and reproduction. For a number of professional fields where you need to quickly make the best decision, having certain skills is of particular importance.

As part of the study of the ability of reflex memory to assimilate data, a separate concept of skill interference was singled out - in psychology, this is the process of transferring skills stored by a person to a new action. The activation of such an action is based on the similarity of the signs of skills, causing the imposition of one skill on another.

In some cases, switching from a habitual skill to an inverted one causes difficulty in performing an action. This state indicates that there is a displacement of results under the influence of new elements. It has been established that the interference of skills is more pronounced when a person’s normal state changes (overwork, illness, exposure to alcohol or medication), as well as in stressful situations (lack of time, nervous strain).

The effect of interference in psychology is used in the study of the ability of consciousness to change activities. If a person abruptly changes one activity to another, the phenomenon of inertia occurs - the previous task interferes with the implementation of the next one. A state where consciousness cannot be switched offfrom a previously performed task, deprives a person of up to 20% of his ability to work, compared to when tasks are performed separately or with a certain period of time.

Factors affecting interference

Based on the collected experimental material, common features and factors for the formation of the memory interference effect were identified:

• The degree of similarity between the initial and subsequent material for memorization. This criterion can be expressed in various parameters: sound, spelling, meaning, similarity of task or performance, associative match.
• The volume and complexity of the main and later material.
• The degree of memorization of information - verbatim reproduction or retention of meaning.
• Time gap between data digestion or tasks performed.

Studying interference

When studying the phenomenon of memory interference using the example of learning textual information, it was found that the classic effect of memory inhibition manifests itself only in situations similar to typical research methods: sequential memorization and reproduction of two text fragments or separate sentences.

In other cases, working with textual material does not meet the definition of pro- and retroactive interference. Forgetting is expressed not just in the partial loss of information, but in the form of a replacement of the literal content or a modification of the semantic component.

Specificity of memorizing textmaterial is associated with the formation in the mind of a certain semantic scheme, which must correspond to the individual system of knowledge of a person. Aspects of textual information that are incompatible with it are ignored or transformed when memorized. The nature of the assimilation of textual data can complement the general theory of thinking and memory.

Thus, interference in psychology is the inhibition of remembering and storing data in long-term memory, as a result of comparing incoming and stored information based on associative links.