Decay Theory of Immediate Memory

Two main types of theory have classically been suggested to account for the fact that, without adequate rehearsal, memory for perceived material appears to be extremely short. They have relied on the interfering effect of other material interpolated between perception and recall, or on interference during recall, or they have relied on the decay of the memory with passage of time. Although most workers to-day would agree that both postulates are necessary to account for failures of immediate recall, it has proved difficult to examine either in isolation. In the course of a study relevant to the memory requirements for using telephone dials, an experiment was carried out which would seem to provide unambiguous support for the decay theory of recall.