We tend to lament forgetting as a failure of memory. How many times have you misplaced your keys, missed an important appointment, or struggled to retrieve a critical piece of information on a big exam? These memory failures are what we usually refer to when we complain that our memories are "no good" and that we are "forgetful." But is a good memory one that only retains information?
Imagine standing in the grocery store, trying to remember a list of items that you need to purchase. You fully expect that the items you need this week will be "fresher" in your mind than items you needed last week. Indeed, you count on this being true. But what if this were not the case? What if every item you had ever needed from any grocery store were just as fresh in your mind as the items you need this week from this grocery store? Clearly, your task of remembering current and relevant information (this week's grocery list) is made easier if you can forget outdated and irrelevant information (previous grocery lists). This is the essence of intentional forgetting and is the focus of my research.
Intentional forgetting is the purposeful forgetting of information that is no longer needed. Contrary to our common assumption that all forgetting is a failure of memory, intentional forgetting serves memory by freeing limited cognitive resources to deal with relevant information.
As a researcher, I think that one of the most interesting aspects of intentional forgetting is the fact that it is an active process that requires attention. At first blush, this notion that forgetting requires attention may seem somewhat surprising. This is because we have the intuitive sense that when we want to forget information we simply let it fade from memory - we forget because we stop thinking about something. However, research indicates that intentional forgetting is not the simple fading of memory. Instead, we use attention to actively suppress the encoding and/or retrieval of to-be-forgotten items. I have a research background in attentional mechanisms that makes me naturally intrigued by the role that attention plays in intentional forgetting; I am also interested in the role that intentional forgetting, in turn, plays in effective remembering.
Over the next few years, my students and I will focus our research efforts on gaining a better understanding of intentional forgetting and on characterizing the role that attention plays in this fascinating aspect of human memory. We are grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada for supporting this research and to the undergraduate participants who volunteer to participate in our studies.
Back to top of page
