Which term describes the disruption of new learning by previously learned information?

Which term describes the disruption of new learning by previously learned information?

• A. Readiness
• B. Interference
• C. Understanding
• D. Demonstrating

Answer: (B)

Memory interference is when information learned earlier disrupts the ability to learn or recall new material. This happens because older memories compete with or block encoding and retrieval of the new information, making the new learning harder to establish. A common subtype is proactive interference, where earlier material gets in the way of learning something new. The other terms describe different ideas: readiness is about being prepared to learn, understanding is grasping meaning, and demonstrating is showing performance. None of these capture the disruptive effect that prior learning has on new learning.

Memory interference is when information learned earlier disrupts the ability to learn or recall new material. This happens because older memories compete with or block encoding and retrieval of the new information, making the new learning harder to establish. A common subtype is proactive interference, where earlier material gets in the way of learning something new. The other terms describe different ideas: readiness is about being prepared to learn, understanding is grasping meaning, and demonstrating is showing performance. None of these capture the disruptive effect that prior learning has on new learning.