Explanations for forgetting: retrieval failure

Question 1

What is retrieval failure?

Answer 1

A form of forgetting, that occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access memory

Question 2

What are cues?

Answer 2

A ‘trigger’ of information that allows us to access a memory

Question 3

Who researched retrieval failure?

Answer 3

Tulving

Question 4

What is the encoding specificity principle (ESP)?

Answer 4

This states a cue has to be present at encoding and present at retrieval

Question 5

What type of technique helps us to remember cues?

Answer 5

Mnemonic techniques (E.g: IDE)

Question 6

What are the 2 examples of non-meaningful cues?

Answer 6

• Context-dependent forgetting (external)
• State-dependent forgetting (internal)

Question 7

Who researched context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 7

Godden and Baddeley

Question 8

What did Godden and Baddeley do?

Answer 8

• Studied deep-sea divers who work underwater, to see if training on land helped or hindered their work underwater
• 4 conditions (learn on land, recall on land. learn underwater, recall underwater. learn on land, recall underwater. learn underwater, recall on land)

Question 9

What did Godden and Baddeley find and conclude?

Answer 9

• Accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions
• Concluded external cues available at time of learning were different from the ones available at recall, which led to retrieval failure

Question 10

Who researched state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 10

Carter and Cassaday

Question 11

What did Carter and Cassaday do?

Answer 11

• Gave antihistamine drugs to participants (mild sedative effect), which creates an internal physiological state different from the ‘normal’ state
• Participants had to learn lists of words and passages of prose and recall information in 4 conditions (learn on drug, recall on drug. learn not on drug, recall not on drug. learn on drug, recall not on drug. learn not on drug, recall on drug)

Question 12

What did Carter and Cassaday find and conclude?

Answer 12

When there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall, performance on memory test was worse. When cues are absent, there is more forgetting

Question 13

What are the strengths of retrieval failure?

Answer 13

• Real-world application
• Research support

Question 14

What are the limitations of retrieval failure?

Answer 14

• Research support is poor
• Recall vs recognition

Question 15

STRENGTH- Real-world application

Answer 15

I= retrieval cues help us to overcome forgetting in everyday situations
D= Baddeley suggests cues are worth paying attention to. E.g: you go into another room to get ‘x’, but when you get to the room you forget what ‘x’ is. The moment you go back to the first room, you remember what ‘x’ is. When we forget, it is worth recalling the environment we learned it in
E= shows research reminds us of strategies we use in the real-world to improve our recall

Question 16

STRENGTH- Research support

Answer 16

I= range of research to support the retrieval failure explanation
D= Godden and Baddeley and Carter and Cassaday studies are good examples, as they show that a lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to forgetting (state and context dependent). Eysenck and Keane argue retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting in LTM
E= shows that retrieval failure occurs in real-world situations, as well as in highly controlled lab settings

Question 17

LIMITATION- poor research support

Answer 17

I= context effects are not strong in everyday life
D= different contexts have to be very different before an effect is seen. E.g: land and underwater settings vary hugely. Learning in one room and recalling in another is unlikely to result in much forgetting as environments are generally not different enough
E= means retrieval failure due to a lack of contextual cues may not actually explain everyday forgetting

Question 18

LIMITATION- recall vs recognition

Answer 18

I= context effects may depend on the type of memory being tested
D= Godden and Baddeley replicated their underwater study, using a recognition test, rather than recall. When recognition was tested, there was no context-dependent effect (settings had no effect on recognition)
E= suggests retrieval failure has a limited explanation for forgetting, as it only applies when a person has to recall info, rather than recognise it