Destructive interference

This is the longstanding hypothesis that later learning interferes with earlier learning. In this case destructive interference specifies this term to include only situations where there the cause of the interference is permanent because involves neural changes that destroy a portion of an older memory. Competitive interference is different.

• Wixted, J. T. (2004). The psychology and neuroscience of forgetting. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 235-269.