Noland bought a fancy new smartphone. It was a different brand of phone than his old phone, so he spent quite a few frustrating hours learning to use the new one. The problem was that he kept trying to tap icons on the new phone in the places they had been on his old phone. Noland's problem was most likely due to __________.
A) proactive interference
B) encoding failure
C) retroactive interference
D) decay theory

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with the recall of new information. In this case, Noland's prior knowledge of how to use his old phone's interface is interfering with his ability to learn how to use the new phone's interface.

Noland Bought a Fancy New Smartphone