Editing Interference theory (section)

===Iconic research===

====Modified (free) recall====
Briggs's (1954) study modeled McGeoch's work on interference by setting the stage for a classic design of retroactive interference. In his study, participants were asked to learn 12 paired associates to a criterion of 100%. To ensure parsimony, these pairs can be labeled as A<sub>1</sub>-B<sub>1</sub>-, A<sub>2</sub>-B<sub>2</sub>-...A<sub> I </sub>-B<sub> I </sub> (also called AB/AC paradigm). Briggs used a "modified free recall" technique by asking participants to recall an item when cued with B<sub> I </sub>. Over multiple anticipation trials, participants learned B<sub> I </sub>  items through the prompt of B<sub> I </sub> items. After perfecting A<sub> I </sub>- B<sub> I </sub> learning, participants were given a new list of paired associates to learn; however B<sub> I </sub> items were replaced with C<sub> I </sub> items (now given a list of A<sub>1</sub>-C<sub>1</sub>-, A<sub>2</sub>-C<sub>2</sub>-...A<sub> I </sub>-C<sub> I </sub>). As the learning of A<sub> I </sub>-C<sub> I </sub> pairs increased, the learning of A<sub> I </sub>-B<sub> I </sub> pairs decreased. Eventually recalling the C<sub> I </sub> items exceeded the recall of the B<sub> I </sub> items, representing the phenomenon of retroactive interference.
A significant part of Briggs's (1954) study was that once participants were tested after a delay of 24 hours the Bi responses spontaneously recovered and exceeded the recall of the Ci items. Briggs explained the [[spontaneous recovery]] illustration as an account of A<sub> I </sub>-B<sub> I </sub> items competing with A<sub> I </sub>-C<sub> I </sub> items or, as McGeoch would define it: "a resultant [of] momentary dominance".<ref name = Briggs>{{cite journal | last1 = Briggs | first1 = G. E. | year = 1954 | title = Acquisition, extinction, and recovery functions in retroactive inhibition | journal = Journal of Experimental Psychology | volume = 47 | issue = 5| pages = 285–293 | doi=10.1037/h0060251 | pmid = 13163344}}</ref>

====Modified modified free recall====
J.M. Barnes and B.J. Underwood (1959) expanded Briggs's (1954) study by implementing a similar procedure. The main difference in this study, however, was that, unlike Briggs's (1954) "modified free recall"  (MFR) task where participants gave one-item responses, Barnes and Underwood asked participants to give both List 1 and List 2 responses to each cued recall task. Participants' ability to recall both items was termed the "modified modified free recall" (MMFR) technique. Equivocally to Briggs's (1954) results, RI occurred when C<sub> I </sub> recalled responses gradually came to exceed B<sub> I </sub> responses. Barnes and Underwood argued that because there was "unlimited recall time" to produce multiple-item responses, the fact that A<sub> I </sub>-C<sub> I </sub> responses still trumped A<sub> I </sub>-B<sub> I </sub> responses represented an account of unlearning.<ref name = barns>{{cite journal | last1 = Barnes | first1 = J. M | last2 = Underwood | first2 = B. J. | year = 1959 | title = Fate of first-list associations in transfer theory | journal = Journal of Experimental Psychology | volume = 58 | issue = 2| pages = 97–105 | doi=10.1037/h0047507| pmid = 13796886 }}</ref>