Although this story may not be entirely accurate, it does illustrate the process of retroactive inhibition in which new learning may interfere with the recall of old learning.Proactive Inhibition: Proactive inhibition is a companion explanation to retroactive inhibition. It holds that old learning interferes with the retention of new learning. Both proactive and retroactive inhibition become particularly troublesome when the material being learned Is similar to old learning The greater the similarity, the more likely that interference will occur. Both processes can be illustrated by the example of an individual who is learning a second computer language. If the second computer language is similar to the first one, it is easy for the learning of the first language to interfere with the learning of the second. Many students experience extreme frustration when learning a second, similar computer language because a simple mistake, like misplacing a comma, can prevent a computer program from running.