Forgetting

Japanese: 忘却 - ぼうきゃく（英語表記）forgetting

It means being unable to recall something that you have memorized, but it is used in reference to retention.

[Takashi Ogawa]

Conditions for forgetting

Forgetting progresses over time, but in the classic study by German psychologist Ebbinghaus (On Memory, published in 1885), a list of meaningless spellings was completely memorized, and then retrieval was examined using a relearning method at intervals of minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months. The saving rate drops to 50% after one hour, and then approaches an asymptote with a negative acceleration, which is called the retention curve. Another name for the retention curve is the forgetting curve. The forgetting curve was subsequently studied under various conditions, and it was found that the amount of retention that decreased after memorization temporarily recovers after a while, which is called reminiscence. The difference in experience between the time of memorization and the time of retrieval has a strong influence on forgetting. It has been recognized that the retention rate reaches an asymptote earlier during sleep than during wakefulness, and is also at a high level. When two lists of similar items are memorized one after the other, the earlier memorization may interfere with the later memorization, which is called proactive inhibition. Similar interference occurs when later memorizations interfere with earlier memorizations, a phenomenon known as retroactive inhibition. Interference is most pronounced when the items are moderately similar. In addition, with regard to the time between memorizations, the interference effect of memorizations immediately after memorization and immediately before retrieval is most pronounced. Repeating a memorized item after memorization is effective for retention, and prohibiting repetition promotes forgetting.

[Takashi Ogawa]

Unforgettable

Sensitive direct memories disappear within seconds, but not much is retained in short-term memory. Items retained in long-term memory are more limited, but items that are meaningful, have high associative value, and have structured content are hard to forget. Items that are deeply rooted in the demands of life, have strong ego involvement, and are strongly linked to emotions are hard to forget. Even among emotions, unpleasant ones are sometimes harder to recall than pleasant ones, which can be seen as a kind of defense mechanism. We do not forget our own names, knowledge necessary for daily life, or occupations, but this could be because these have favorable properties in terms of inhibition, structure, and repetition.

[Takashi Ogawa]

[Reference] | Ebbinghaus | Remember | Memory

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

記憶したことが想(おも)い出せないことを意味するが、保持あるいは把持retentionに対して用いる。

［小川　隆］

忘却の条件

忘却は時間経過とともに進行するが、ドイツの心理学者エビングハウスの古典的研究（『記憶について』1885刊）では、無意味つづりのリストを完全に記銘したのち、分、時、日、週、月の諸時隔にわたって再学習法による想起を確かめている。節約率は一時間後に50％に低下し、その後、負の加速度をもって漸近線に近づくが、これを保持曲線retention curveという。保持曲線の別名が忘却曲線である。忘却曲線は種々な条件下でその後研究されたが、記銘後に低下した保持量がしばらくして一時回復することが明らかになり、これはレミニセンスreminiscenceといわれる。記銘時と想起時との間の時程での経験の差が忘却に強く影響を与える。睡眠時には覚醒(かくせい)時に比べて保持率は早く漸近線に到達し、しかも高水準にあることが認められている。2種の類似した項目リストを次々に記銘すると、前の記銘が後の記銘を干渉することがあり、これを順（前）向抑制proactive inhibitionという。同様な干渉は後の記銘による前の記銘に対しても生じ、これを溯(そ)（逆）向(こう)抑制retroactive inhibitionという。干渉は項目の中程度の類似で著しい。また、記銘間の時間については記銘直後の記銘、想起直前の記銘の干渉効果が著しい。記銘項目を記銘後復唱することが保持にとって有効で、復唱を禁止すると忘却が促進される。

［小川　隆］

忘れがたいもの

感性的な直接記憶は秒単位で消失するが、短期記憶に残される保持量も多くはない。長期記憶に残される項目はさらに制限されるが、有意味な、連想価の高い、構造化された内容のものは忘れがたい。生活の要求に深く根ざした、自我関与の強い項目、情動と強く結び付いた項目は忘れがたい。情動でも不快なものは快に比して想起されがたいという場合があるが、これは一種の防衛機構の働きともみられる。自分の名前、生活、職業上必要な知識などは忘れないが、これらは抑制、構造、復唱などの条件について有利な性質をもつからともいえる。

［小川　隆］

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