Explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure Flashcards
describe retrieval failure
a form of forgetting which occurs when we do not have the necessary cues to access memory, the memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided
describe a cue
a ‘trigger’ of info 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
indirect cues may be external (environmental context) or internal (mood)
describe the encoding specificity principle
tulving (1983) reviewed research into retrieval failure and discovered a consistent pattern to the findings (ESP)
where a helpful cue has to be present at encoding and present at retrieval
if cues available at encoding and retrieval are different then there will be some forgetting
describe context-dependent forgetting
recall depends on external cues (e.g., weather or place)
godden and baddeley (1975) studied deep-sea divers to see if training on land helped or hindered their work underwater
the divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land and then asked to recall the words on either
accurate recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions, concluding that the external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall which led to retrieval failure
describe state-dependent forgetting
recall depends on internal cues (e.g., feeling upset, being drunk)
carter and cassaday (1998) gave antihistamine drugs to their ppts, which had a mild sedative effect, creating an internal physiological state different from the normal state of being awake and alert
ppts had to learn lists of words and recall the info
in the conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall, performance was significantly worse
shows when cues are absent there is more forgetting
how can retrieval cues help overcome forgetting in everyday situations (strength)
baddeley suggests cues are worth paying attention to
for example, you go into another room for something but forget what it is as soon as you enter the room, you go back to the first room and instantly remember again
making the effort to recall the environment in which you first learned something helps overcome forgetting
shows there are strategies we use in the real world to improve recall
what is the supporting research for the retrieval failure explanation (strength)
studies show that a lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to context-dependent and state-dependent forgetting in everyday life
eysenck and keane (2010) argue that retrieval failure is perhaps the main reason for forgetting from LTM
shows that retrieval failure occurs in real-world situations as well as in the highly controlled conditions of the lab
what is a counterpoint of the research support (limitation)
baddeley argues that context effects are actually not very strong, especially in everyday life
different contexts have to be very different before an effect is seen
e.g., it would be hard to find an environment as different from land as underwater
this means that retrieval failure due to lack of contextual cues may not actually explain much everyday forgetting
how may context effects depend substantially on the type of memory being tested (limitation)
godden and baddeley replicated their underwater experiment but used a recognition test instead of recall, ppts had to say whether they recognised a word read to them from a list, instead of retrieving it for themselves
performance the same in all four conditions
suggests that retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting because it only applies when a person has to recall info rather than recognise it
