Explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure Flashcards
What are cues?
Are things that serve as a reminder. They may meaningfully link to the material to be remembered or may not be meaningfully linked.
What is retrieval failure?
Occurs due to the absence of cues. An explanation for forgetting based on the idea that the issue relates to being able to retrieve a memory that is there but not accessible. Retrieval depends using cues.
What is the encoding specificity principle?
Tulving and Thomson proposed the encoding speciality principle, the idea that memory is most effective in information that’s present at the time of encoding is also available at the time of retrieval. Tulving and pearlstone found that participants recalled 40% of words in a free recall task, in comparison to 60% of words cued-recall task, demonstrating the value of retrieval cues.
What is context-dependent forgetting?
Godden and Baddeley investigated context-dependent learning. They recruited scuba divers and arranged for them to learn a list of words either on land or under water. The results revealed that the highest recall was when the initial context matched the recall environment.
What is state-dependent forgetting?
Goodwin et al. demonstrated state-dependent forgetting by asking male volunteers to remember a list of words drunk or sober. Participants then recalled the list 24hours later sober or drunk again. The results revealed that words were best recalled in the same mental state.
What is a strength of retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting?
A straight if retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting is the application to everyday memory. Abernethy found that students recalled more information when tested in the same room with the same teacher, in comparison to students tested in a different room with a different teacher. This supports the idea of context-dependent learning in everyday memory and suggests students should revise in the room they take their exams.
What is a strength of retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting?
Another strength is the ability to explain interference effects. Tulving and pstoka found that when participants were given cued recall the effects of interference disappears participants remembered about 70% regardless of the number of lists. This shows that information is there but cannot be retrieved due to interference as retrieval cues improve recall. This demonstrates that retrieval failure is a more important explanation of forgetting in comparison.
What is a limitation of retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting?
One criticism of the encoding specificity principle is that the relationship between encoding and retrieval failure is correlational. Narine has criticised what he calls the myth of the encoding-retrieval match. He claims the relationship between encoding and cues and later retrieval is correlational rather than causal. That they are just associated. This matters because a casual relationship between encoding and retrieval cannot be established.
