What term refers to the interference of old memories with new information?

• A. External Locus of Control
• B. Proactive Interference
• C. Internal Locus of Control
• D. Latent Learning

Answer: (B)

Memory interference happens when memories from the past get in the way of learning or recalling new information. Proactive interference is the case where old memories interfere with learning or retrieving something new. So, the information you already know makes it harder to encode or remember newly learned material. A helpful example is when you’ve always typed your old password and, when asked for a new one, your brain keeps pulling up the old password and you accidentally use it. Another everyday example is mixing up spellings or names you learned before with the new ones you’re trying to learn, because the old knowledge competes with the new.

For contrast, retroactive interference is the opposite: new information interferes with recalling old information. The other terms here aren’t about this kind of memory interference: locus of control relates to beliefs about what influences outcomes (external or internal), and latent learning refers to learning that isn’t immediately expressed.