5 - Explanations For Forgetting: Retrieval Failure

Question 1

What is forgetting?

Answer 1

Loss of info/ inability to retrieve info from the LTM store

Question 2

What are the two explanations for forgetting?

Answer 2

Interference + retrieval failure

Question 3

What is retrieval failure?

Answer 3

When necessary cues needed to access a memory aren’t available, so memory cannot be recalled

Question 4

What is a cue?

Answer 4

A ‘trigger’ of info that allows a memory to be accessed

Question 5

Who proposed the Encoding Specificity Principle (ESP)? What is it?

Answer 5

Tulving (1983)

• Principle states that for a cue to help retrieval of a memory, it must be present at time of memory encoding + memory retrieval.
• If not present at both of these times, retrieval failure occurs (forgetting)

Question 6

What are the three types of cues?

Answer 6

• Cues meaningfully linked to memory

- Cues not meaningfully linked to memory, just encoded at same time (external + internal)

Question 7

Give an example of a meaningfully linked cue

Answer 7

Mnemonics are meaningfully linked to the memory of key terms

Question 8

What type of forgetting occurs when an external cue that has no meaningful link to memory is not present? Give an example

Answer 8

Context-dependent forgetting

(E.g. External cue = being in classroom when learning key term. Not in classroom when asked meaning of key term so can’t remember)

Question 9

What type of forgetting occurs when an internal cue that has no meaningful link to memory is not present? Give an example

Answer 9

State-dependent forgetting

E.g. Internal cue = being drunk when told gossip. Next week when you aren’t drunk you can’t remember the gossip.

Question 10

What is context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 10

When memory retrieval is dependent on an external/environmental cue

Question 11

What is state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 11

When memory retrieval is dependent on an internal/state of mind cue

Question 12

Who did a research study to support the theory of context-dependent forgetting, due to no external cue present? When?

Answer 12

Godden + Baddeley (1975)

Question 13

Outline Godden + Baddeley’s 1975 research to support context-dependent forgetting

Answer 13

Aim:
- To investigate whether removing external cues can cause context-dependent forgetting
Procedure:
- Field experiment
- 4 repeated measure conditions of divers learning and recalling a list of words in two different contexts
Condition 1: Learn on land, recall on land
Condition 2: Learn on land, recall underwater
Condition 3: Learn underwater, recall on land
Condition 4: Learn underwater, recall underwater
Findings:
- When environment didn’t match (conditions 2+3) recall 40% lower
Conclusion:
- Environmental/external cues help with recall
- Without these external cues, retrieval failure can occur due to context-dependent forgetting

Question 14

Who did a research study to support the theory of state-dependent forgetting, due to no internal cue present? When?

Answer 14

Carter + Cassaday (1998)

Question 15

Outline Carter + Cassaday’s 1998 research to support state-dependent forgetting

Answer 15

Aim:
- To investigate whether removing internal cues can cause state-dependent forgetting
Procedure:
- Lab experiment
- 4 conditions of ppts learning + recalling lists in two different states of mind (on anti-histamine drugs - drowsy - or normal - awake + alert)
Condition 1: Learn on drug, recall on drug
Condition 2: Learn on drug, recall normal
Condition 3: Learn normal, recall on drug
Condition 4: Learn normal, recall normal
Findings:
- When internal contexts didn’t match (2+3) recall much lower
Conclusions:
- Internal cues help with recall
- Without these internal cues, retrieval failure can occur due to state-dependent forgetting

Question 16

Give 2 positive evaluation points for retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting

Answer 16

Research support

• Godden + Baddeley (context-dependent forgetting)
• Carter + Cassaday (state-dependent forgetting)

Practical applications

• ‘Context reinstatement’ used in cognitive interviews
• Eyewitnesses return to scene of crime to recall more info, as hope to get some external cues + reduce context-dependent forgetting

Question 17

What did Godden + Baddeley find when they replicated their study in 1980?

Answer 17

Context-dependent forgetting did not apply when they tested divers’ recognition skills (instead of recall skills) - recognition level same in all conditions

Question 18

Give 2 negative evaluation points for retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting

Answer 18

Context-forgetting isn’t as strong in real life as in research studies

• Baddeley (1966)
• Argued different contexts have less of an effect in real life
• E.g. learning and recalling in two different rooms has less of an effect on info retrieval than learning underwater then recalling on land

ESP cannot be proven

• We have no way of knowing when info and cues are coded
• We assume that if it helps with recall, a cue was encoded at the same time
• But there is no way to determine this for certain