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The failure to remember or recall something in the absence of cues is called cue dependent forgetting or retrieval failure.
The phenomenon of forgetting is ubiquitous and active in many species but how and which memories are actively forgotten is unknown. Darwin proposed an evolutionary link to the “mental powers’ pointing out that memory is also subjected to natural selection evolving with physical attributes of a species. Accordingly, evolution favoring the retention of good memories is expected. However, active forgetting mechanisms are also there. This evolution might be linked to the adaptation in a changing environment by forgetting things that become irrelevant.
In trying to retrieve a past event, the memories that are forgotten are likely those with whom other memories are competing. Various stimuli and contexts can promote the retrieval induced forgetting. Research on its mechanism has shown that trying to retrieve a memory initiates inhibitory control mechanism. This is mediated by the lateral prefrontal cortex. This region suppressed distracting memories while focusing on the retrieval of goal specific memories. The establishment of retrieval induced forgetting may provide a link between high level behavioral control and low-level molecular mechanisms. Together, forgetting and prefrontal mechanisms work together to ensure flexible and adaptive behavior.
12th April 2026
Critical Thinking, Batch 5
