Explanations for forgetting: retrieval failure theory

Question 1

Retrieval failure theory

Answer 1

└don’t have necessary cues to access memory
└memory is available but not accessible without the right cues
└cue= trigger of information allows us to access memories
└meaningful/indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning
└external (situation) or internal (mood e.g.)

Question 2

Encoding specificity principle (ESP)

Person

Answer 2

Tulving (1983)

Question 3

Encoding specificity principle (ESP)

Answer 3

└Tulving (1983)
└if a cue is to help us recall information it has to be present at encoding and retrieval- if cues absent= forgetting
└mnemonic cues

Question 4

Types of retrieval failure

Answer 4

• Context-dependent forgetting

- State-dependent forgetting

Question 5

Context-dependent forgetting study

Person

Answer 5

Godden and Baddely (1975)

Question 6

Context-dependent forgetting study

Answer 6

└Godden and Baddely (1975)
P: └learn/recall lists of words on land/underwater
F: └matching conditions: best
└not matching conditions: 40% lower 
  └due to different external queues

Question 7

State-dependent forgetting

Person

Answer 7

Crater and Cassaday (1998)

Question 8

State-dependent forgetting

Answer 8

└Crater and Cassaday (1998)
P: └antihistamine/mild sedative
└learn/recall list of words on/off drug
F: └matching conditions: best
└not matching conditions: lower 
  └due to different internal queues

Question 9

Retrieval failure theory

Strengths

Answer 9

Supporting evidence
└large range of supporting research evidence
└Godden and Baddely (1975), Crater and Cassaday (1998)
└Michael Eysenck (2010) argues retrieval failure is main reason for forgetting in from LTM
└increases validity
└research both in controlled labs and real life situations

Question 10

Retrieval failure theory
Limitations
Summary

Answer 10

• Questioning context effects: Baddely (1997)

- Recall versus recognition: Baddely (1980)

Question 11

Retrieval failure theory
Limitations
Questioning context effects

Answer 11

└Baddely (1997)
└context effects aren’t strong, especially in real life
└environments generally aren’t different enough
└real life applications of retrieval failure due to contextual cues don’t actually explain much forgetting

Question 12

Retrieval failure theory
Limitations
Recall versus recognition

Answer 12

└Baddely (1980)
└replicated their underwater experiment but used recognition test instead of recall
└no context dependent effect, same results in all conditions
└presence of cues only effects memory when it is tested in a certain way