Editing Interference theory (section)

===Decay theory===
[[Decay theory]] outlines that memories weaken over time despite consolidation and storage.<ref>Baddeley, A., Eysenck, M.W. & Anderson, A.C. (2009). Memory. New York, NY: Psychology Press</ref> This is to say that although you remember a specific detail, over time you may have greater difficulty retrieving the detail you encoded. It has been suggested that the time interval between encoding and retrieval determines the accuracy of recall.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Brown | first1 = J | year = 1958 | title = Some Test of the Decay Theory of Immediate Memory | journal = Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology | volume = 10 | pages = 12–21 | doi=10.1080/17470215808416249| s2cid = 144071312 }}</ref>

A practical example of [[decay theory]] is seen in the financial sector. If you open a bank account and do not deposit or withdraw money from the account, after some time, the bank will render the account dormant. The owner of the account, then, has to reopen the account for it to remain active. The bank account (the memory) is rendered dormant (the memory weakened) over time if there is no activity on the account (if the memory is not retrieved after some time).

====Similarities====
[[Decay theory]] is similar to interference theory in the way that old memories are lost over time. Memories are lost in Decay Theory by the passing of time. In Interference Theory, memories are lost due to newly acquired memories. Both Decay and Interference Theories are involved in psychological theories of [[forgetting]].

====Differences====
Decay and interference theory differ in that Interference Theory has a second stimulus that impedes the retrieval of the first stimulus. Decay Theory is caused by time itself. Decay Theory is a passive method of forgetting as no interference is produced.<ref>Grossberg, S. (1987) The Adaptive Brain: Vision, Speech, Language and Motor Control. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier</ref> Interference Theory is an active process because the act of learning new information directly impedes the recollection of previously stored information.