explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure Flashcards
what is the meaning of retrieval failure?
-dont have necessary cues to access memories already there
What is a cue?
-a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory
What did Tulving say about encoding specificty princple?
-found a pattern to findings of retrieval failure
-states that if a cue (is going to be helpful) it has to be both present at encoding(learning the material) and present at retrieval (when recalling)
-if cues are different or if cues absent at retrieval then foregtting occur
how can cues be encoded meaningfully?
mnemonic techniques
what are exmaples of non meaningful cues?
-context dependant forgetting- recall depends on external cue (weather or place)
-state dependant forgetting- recall depends on internal cue(feeling upset, being drunk)
what was the procedure for research on context dependant forgetting?
-Godden and Baddeley studied deep sea divers
-divers learnt words either underwater or on land and asked to recall on land and underwater
what were the conditions for context dependant forgetting?
-learn on land - recall on land
-learn on land - recall underwater
-learn underwater- recall on land
-learn underwater- recall underwater
what were the findings of context dependant forgetting?
-accurate recall was 40% lower in non matching conditons
-concluded that external cues available at learning were diff from the ones avaibale at recall - leading to retrieval failure
what were procedures in the research on state dependant forgetting?
-carter and cassaday gave antihistamine drugs to Ps
-making Ps drowsy
- different from ‘normal’ state of being alert
-had to learn diff word lists in diff conditons
what were the 4 conditions in the state dependant forgetting?
-learn on drug= recall when on drug
-learn on drug= recall when not on drug
-learn not on drug= recall when on drug
-learn not on drug- recall when not on drug
what were the findings of research on state dependant forgetting?
-if there was difference in internal state at learning and at recall
-performance on memory test was worse
-e.g when cues are absent e.g u are drowsy when recalling info but alert learning it then theres more forgetting
what are the strengths of retrieval failure?
(real world app)
Cues play a strong role in forgetting. A common experience is forgetting why you entered a room but remembering once you return to the original room. This shows how context helps retrieval. When struggling to recall something, returning to the original environment can help. Such real-world strategies demonstrate the power of cues in memory
(research support)
-Godden and baddeley, carter and cassaday that show relevant cues at recall lead to context dpendant and state dependant.
-eyseneck and keane argue that retrieval failure perhaps the main reason for foegtting from LTM
-retrieval failure occurs IRL and lab
what are the limitations of retrieval failure?
(counterpoint research support)
Context effects are weak in real life because environments need to be significantly different to impact memory. Extreme contrasts, like land vs. underwater, show effects, but switching between similar settings (e.g., different rooms) has little impact. This suggests retrieval failure due to a lack of cues may not be a major cause of everyday forgetting.
(recall vs recogniton)
Godden and Baddeley repeated their underwater experiment using a recognition test instead of recall. Participants had to identify words rather than retrieve them. This time, context had no effect, and performance was the same across all conditions. This suggests retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting, as it affects recall but not recognition.
