Explanations for forgetting - Retrieval Failure Flashcards
What is the Encoding Specificity Principle?
This states that if a cue is going to be helpful it must be present at both encoding and retrieval.
What is context and state-dependent forgetting?
Context-dependent forgetting is where recall depends on external cue
State-dependent forgetting is where recall depends on internal cue.
What was Godden and Baddeley’s experiment?
They had divers learn a list of words on land or in water, then recall them either in the opposite or the same condition.
What were Godden and Baddeley’s findings?
Out of the 4 conditions, accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions. They concluded that external cues available at learning were different from the ones available at learning and this led to forgetting.
What is the evaluation - Real-world application?
Retrieval cues can help to overcome some forgetting in everyday situations. Baddeley argued they are worth paying attention to, such as when you go into a room and forget what you needed, then go back into the other room and remember again. He argues it is easier to remind yourself of strategies you can use in the real world to improve recall.
What is the evaluation - research support?
There is an impressive range of research - Godden and Baddeley, Carter and Cassaday. They show that a lack of cues lead to forgetting. Eysenck and Keane suggest that retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting from LTM. This shows that retrieval failure occurs in real-world scenarios as well as the highly-controlled lab conditions.
What is the evaluation - context cues are not very strong.
Baddeley argues that context effects are not strong in everyday life. Different contexts have to be very different, and generally the environments are not different enough to produce a lasting effect. This means that retrieval failure due to a lack of contextual clues may not explain forgetting.
What is the evaluation - recall vs recognition?
Context effects may depend substantially on the type of memory being tested. When G&B replicated their experiment using a recognition test, there was no difference in all 4 conditions. This suggests retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting because it only applies when a person has to recall information themselves.
