Editing Decay theory (section)

{{Short description|Theory that proposes that memory fades due to the mere passage of time}}
The '''Decay theory''' is a theory that proposes that [[memory]] fades due to the mere passage of time. [[Information]] is therefore less available for later retrieval as time passes and memory, as well as memory strength, wears away.<ref name="emtwo">{{cite journal | vauthors = Berman MG, Jonides J, Lewis RL | title = In search of decay in verbal short-term memory | journal = Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition | volume = 35 | issue = 2 | pages = 317–33 | date = March 2009 | pmid = 19271849 | pmc = 3980403 | doi = 10.1037/a0014873 }}</ref> When an individual [[learn]]s something new, a [[neurochemical]] "memory trace" is created. However, over time this trace slowly disintegrates. Actively [[memory rehearsal|rehearsing]] information is believed to be a major factor counteracting this temporal decline.<ref name="emfive">{{cite journal | vauthors = Oberauer K, Lewandowsky S | title = Forgetting in immediate serial recall: Decay, temporal distinctiveness, or interference? | journal = Psychological Review | date = 2008 | volume = 115 | issue = 3 | pages = 544–576 | doi = 10.1037/0033-295X.115.3.544 | pmid = 18729591 | url = http://api.research-repository.uwa.edu.au/files/1546099/11204_PID11204.pdf }}</ref> It is widely believed that [[neurons]] die off gradually as we age, yet some older memories can be stronger than most recent memories. Thus, decay theory mostly affects the [[short-term memory]] system, meaning that older memories (in [[long-term memory]]) are often more resistant to shocks or physical attacks on the [[brain]]. It is also thought that the passage of time alone cannot cause [[forgetting]], and that decay theory must also take into account some processes that occur as more time passes.<ref name="emtwo" />