Theory of Availability – Trace Decay Theory
a) The trace decay theory argues that memories become less available over time as our brains create a path or ‘trace’ to each memory which, if we don’t rehearse it, will fade away and we will no longer be able to remember it anymore. It argues that once the trace has faded, that particular memory is gone forever. To keep memories available we must constantly revisit and rehearse them. This theory explains the reasons why we remember interesting or meaningful information; however, this theory does not really apply to procedural memories, for example riding a bike, swimming, as once we have learned how to do these processes we rarely forget them.
Ebbinghaus in 1985 carried out an experiment on himself by making himself learn a list of nonsense syllables and then tested his recall over time intervals. The intervals ranged from 10 minutes up to 30 days, and he found that the longer the duration, the less words he could recall. Ebbinghaus concluded that over time, the trace faded and the list of syllables was lost. However, there are some criticisms of this experiment, one being that he was the only participant so it is hard to make a generalisation from such a small sample. A further criticism of his experiment was using himself as a participant which could lead to experimenter bias. He knew what his aims and results were, so there was a possibility of demand characteristics.
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Peer Reviews
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Quality of writing
It is good to see the student provide dates with their examples, however these can be laid out ever so slightly differently, instead of writing “Ebbinghaus is 1985†it is normal practice to just write “Ebbinghaus (1985)†and will save you a few words over the course of the essay! A major downfall of this essay is the lack of a concluding paragraph, this is an essential part of any essay as it is the point in which an overarching judgement can be made on all the points discussed to demonstrate a clear, and rational understanding of the topic. This essay is laid out in 3 parts (a,b, & c) which may partially explain this – although, if it is the case I would still recommend a clear concluding sentence or two for each part.
Level of analysis
A good level of analysis is provided from the student – for example, they use a study to discuss Trace Decay Theory: Ebbinghaus’ study is described accurately, but then further evaluation is provided by outlining its limitations (e.g. experimenter bias, demand characteristics). This is a simple, but effective way, of showing critical analysis skills, for each example you make – you should describe it, evaluate it, and link it back to the question. To achieve this fully, the student here could have added a simple sentence to explicitly relate back to the question to ensure it is clear how the information is relevant (e.g. the limitations of the experiment mean that the empirical support for Trace Decay Theory is not sound). Furthermore, the student goes on to nicely include other research studies which both support and dispute Trace Decay Theory (e.g. Bahrick et al.), this is important as it shows the student’s ability to objectively weigh up both sides of the discussion, and then evaluate the evidence for each.
Response to question
The student provides a thorough discussion of Trace Decay Theory including good description and evaluation points, referring to various psychology research studies to back up their points. This essay begins with a brilliant introduction, which provides accurate background information of Trace Decay Theory (e.g. our brains create a path or ‘trace’ to each memory which, if we don’t rehearse, will fade away), as well as an insight into the issues that will be explored in the essay to set the scene for the reader (e.g. This theory explains the reasons why we remember interesting or meaningful information; however, this theory does not really apply to procedural memories…).
