Directed Forgetting

The benefit of forgetting lies in its ability to reduce clutter in memory by removing information that is no longer relevant. In the laboratory, forgetting can be experimentally induced using thedirected forgettingparadigm, for which there are two versions: the item‐based and list‐based methods. Both tasks have been shown to be effective in producing the directed forgetting effect, operationally defined as greater memory for items cued as to‐be‐remembered relative to those cued as to‐be‐forgotten. This entry reviews the methods and theory of directed forgetting, as well as how the ability to engage in directed forgetting changes as a function of normal aging.