exp for forgetting: retrieval failure Flashcards
what is encoding specificity principle
The encoding specificity principle shows that memories are linked to the context in which they are created. It states that it’s easier to recall information when you are in the same context in which you memorised or studied it.
what is context dependent forgetting ?
A large body of research has shown that memory performance is reduced when an individual’s environment differs from encoding to retrieval than if the two environments were the same.
what study did baddeley and godden conduct on context dependant forgetting
Godden and Baddeley carried out a study of deep sea divers working underwater. the divers learnt a list of words either underwater or on land and then had to recall these words either underwater or on land.This created 4 conditions.
what were the findings of the divers study?
Two conditions had matching environmental contexts of learning and recall,the other two did not.In non-matching conditions accurate recall was 40% lower.The external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall which cause retrieval failure.
what is state dependent forgetting
State-dependent forgetting occurs when your mood or physiological state during recall is different from the mood you were in when you were learning.
what study did Carter and cassaday conduct
Carter and Cassaday gave antihistamine drugs (for treating hay fever) to their participants.The drugs had a mild sedative effect making the participants drowsy.The participants had to learn a list of words and a passage of prose and then recall the information.There were 4 conditions
Evaluation: strength
supporting evidence
There are a lot of research studies providing evidence for retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting.This is a strength because more supporting evidence increases the validity of an explanation.Evidence shows that retrieval failure occurs both in real life situations and in controlled conditions e.g a lab.
evaluation: limitation
context effects
Baddeley argued that context effects aren’t very strong in real life.In order to see an actual effect in retrieval failure the contexts have to be very different and that it is very hard to do .This is a limitation as it means that real life applications of retrieval failure due to contextual cues don’t explain much forgetting.
evaluation: limitation
recall vs recognition
Godden and Baddeley replicated their underwater study with a recognition test instead of a recall test.There was no context-dependent effect and performance was the same in all four conditions.The test didn’t require any recall.This is another limitation of context effects as it suggests that the presence/absence of cue only affects memory when you test it in a certain way
evaluation: limitation
problem with ESP
The ESP can’t be tested and leads to a form of circular reasoning.There is no way to independently establish whether or not the cues have really been encoded.
