Explanations For Forgetting; Retrieval Failure

Question 1

What does this explanation say is key in forgetting?

Answer 1

Cues – an absence of cues may cause retrieval failure

Question 2

What is the encoding specificity principle?

Answer 2

The principle that says cues present at coding and retrieval help us to recall information, the closer the cue is to the original the stronger it is.

Question 3

What are two different types of cues?

Answer 3

Cues that have meaning – STM helps you remember short-term memory.
Cues that have no meaning or link to the memory.

Question 4

What are the two types of forgetting?

Answer 4

Context dependent forgetting

State dependent forgetting

Question 5

What is context dependent forgetting?

Answer 5

This is when memory depends on an external or environment cue to be present at coding.

Question 6

What is state dependent forgetting?

Answer 6

When memory retrieval depends on internal cue or state of mind at the time.

Question 7

What is the key study into this explanation for forgetting?

Answer 7

Godden & Baddeley 1975

Question 8

What was Godden and Baddeley’s study?

Answer 8

Divers were asked to learn words on land or in the water then recall the words on land or in the water. There are four groups; learn and recall on land, learn and recall in the water, learn on land and recall in water or learn in water and recall on land. Recall was 40% lower for nonmatching conditions supporting retrieval failure because of lack of cues.

Question 9

What are the evaluation points for Godden & Baddeley’s 1975 study?

Answer 9

+ Baddeley &a Godden - supporting evidence

• The context affects may only show when you test memory in a certain way
• Baddeley said the context effects were not that strong in real life so maybe it has to be a very different context for effects to show