retroactive inhibition: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Technical, Academic
Quick answer
What does “retroactive inhibition” mean?
In psychology and learning theory: the disruptive effect that new learning can have on the recall of previously learned information.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
In psychology and learning theory: the disruptive effect that new learning can have on the recall of previously learned information.
A phenomenon where newly acquired memories or skills interfere with and weaken the retention of older, related ones.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The term is identical in spelling and use across academic contexts in both varieties.
Connotations
Purely technical, clinical, with no regional connotative differences.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency and confined to psychology, neuroscience, and educational research in both regions.
Grammar
How to Use “retroactive inhibition” in a Sentence
Experiencers experience/undergo/suffer from retroactive inhibition.Agents/Causes cause/induce/produce retroactive inhibition.Researchers study/measure/observe retroactive inhibition.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “retroactive inhibition” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The new learning retroactively inhibited recall of the original list.
American English
- The recent training retroactively inhibited the old skill.
adverb
British English
- The memory was inhibited retroactively.
American English
- The information interfered retroactively.
adjective
British English
- They measured the retroactive inhibitory effect.
American English
- A significant retroactive inhibition effect was found.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Extremely rare. Might be metaphorically used in training contexts to describe new procedures making employees forget old ones.
Academic
Primary context. Found in psychology, cognitive science, education, and neuroscience textbooks and journals.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Standard term in experimental psychology for a specific memory phenomenon.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “retroactive inhibition”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “retroactive inhibition”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “retroactive inhibition”
- Confusing 'retroactive' with 'proactive'. Remember: RETROactive = NEW affects OLD (think retro/backwards).
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'It retroactively inhibited my memory'). The term is a noun phrase.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Retroactive inhibition is when NEW learning interferes with OLD memories. Proactive inhibition is when OLD learning interferes with the acquisition or recall of NEW information.
Not necessarily. It's a neutral mechanism of memory. While it can cause forgetting, it is also part of how we update and refine knowledge, suppressing outdated or less relevant information.
It is a core concept in cognitive psychology, but also appears in educational psychology, neuroscience research on memory, and human factors/ergonomics studies on training.
Yes, 'retroactive interference' is a perfectly acceptable and more commonly used synonym. The terms are largely interchangeable in modern academic writing.
In psychology and learning theory: the disruptive effect that new learning can have on the recall of previously learned information.
Retroactive inhibition is usually technical, academic in register.
Retroactive inhibition: in British English it is pronounced /ˌretrəʊˈæktɪv ˌɪnɪˈbɪʃ(ə)n/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌretroʊˈæktɪv ˌɪnɪˈbɪʃ(ə)n/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None applicable; technical term.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think RETRO (backwards) + ACTIVE (acting upon). New learning acts BACKWARDS to inhibit old memories.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/MEMORY IS A PHYSICAL SPACE (New information 'overwrites' or 'covers up' old information in the mental space).
Practice
Quiz
What is the key direction of interference in retroactive inhibition?