explanation for forgetting: retrieval failure

Question 1

what is the retrieval failure

Answer 1

retrieval failure is a form of forgetting in the long - term memory.

It occurs when we do not have the necessary cues to access a memory

The memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided

Question 2

what is a cue

Answer 2

a cue is a “trigger” of information that allows us to access a memory.

Such cues may be meaningful or may be indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning these cues e.g.

• context dependent forgetting
• state dependent forgetting

Question 3

what is the encoding specificity principle (ESP)

Answer 3

Endel Tulving (1983) reviewed research into retrieval failure and discovered a consistent pattern to the findings

He summarised this pattern in what he called the encoding specificity principle

It states:
“ If a cue is to help us to recall info it ha to be present at encoding ( when we learn the material) and at retrieval ( when we are recalling it)
It therefore follows that if the cues available at encoding and retrieval are different ( or if the cues are absent entirely at retrieval) there will be some forgetting

Question 4

what are the different types of cues

Answer 4

some cues are linked to the material to be remembered in a useful way e.g. when you see STM you might be inclined to recall all that you know about short term memory

Other cues are encoded at the time of learning but not in a meaningful way
e.g. context dependent forgetting (external cues) and state dependent forgetting ( internal cues)

Question 5

what is some research into context dependent forgetting

Answer 5

Duncan Godden and Alan Baddeley investigated cue - dependent forgetting

PROCEDURE:
In this study divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land and then were asked to recall words either underwater or on land
This therefore created four separate conditions

Question 6

what are the findings in Godden and Baddeley’s research in cue dependent forgetting

Answer 6

FINDINGS:
In two of these conditions the environmental contexts of learning and recall matched, whereas in the other two they did not
They found that accurate recall was 40% lower in the non - matching conditions because the external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall and this led to retrieval failure

Question 7

what did Baddely and Goddenn concluded from their study

Answer 7

they conclued that external cues available at learning help to “trigger” memories if they are also there at recall

Question 8

what is some research into state dependent forgetting

Answer 8

Carter and Cassady (1998) gave anti - histamine drugs to some their participants

The antihistamine s had a mild sedative effect making the participants slightly drowsy
This creates physiological state different from the “normal” state of being awake and alert

The participants had to learn lists of words and passage of prose and passage of prose and then recall the info
This again creates four different conditions for learning and recall

Question 9

what are the findings of Carter and Casseday’s study

Answer 9

FINDINGS:

in the conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state and recall, performance on the memory test was significant worse. So when the cues are absent ( e.g. in this case the cues would be you are drowsy when recalling info but had been alert learning it) then there is more forgetting