Inhibitory processes

Abstract

The goal-directed use of our memory requires that the accessibility of irrelevant or out-of-date information be reduced and the accessibility of relevant or current information be enhanced. It is an old idea that, in memory, inhibitory processes operate to serve this function. Results from a variety of experimental paradigms are reviewed in which the action of inhibitory processes has been suggested. From these results, evidence for the existence of a multiplicity of inhibitory processes is provided, with different processes operating in different situations. The nature of the processes is specified, as well as the processing stage at which each of them operates. In addition, current knowledge on the developmental trajectory of the processes is reviewed.