A psychologist asks people to recall the name of their kindergarten teacher. Surprisingly, the majority of people correctly do this and comment, "Gee whiz, I haven't thought about that old bat [or old coot] in years!" Their ability to do so is a severe problem for which theory of forgetting?
A) interference theory
B) decay
C) encoding failure
D) retroactive interference

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Decay theory suggests that memories fade over time due to a lack of use or access. The fact that people can recall their kindergarten teacher's name after many years, despite not having thought about them, challenges the idea that memories simply fade away with time.

A Psychologist Asks People to Recall the Name of Their