What is forgetting? Explain with example.

Forgetting refers to the inability to recall or recognize previously learned information. It is a natural process that occurs due to various factors such as lack of use, interference, decay, or emotional distress. Forgetting can happen at any stage of memory: encoding (failure to store), storage (loss of stored information), or retrieval (inability to access stored information).

Example: Imagine you memorize a list of 20 new words for an exam. After the exam, you try to recall them but can only remember 10. This failure to retrieve the remaining 10 words is an example of forgetting. Over time, if you do not revisit the list, you may forget even the 10 words you initially recalled. This could be due to retroactive interference (new learning disrupting old memories) or decay (natural fading of unused memories).