Explanations of Forgetting Flashcards
What are the 2 explanations of forgetting?
Interference
Retrieval failure do to absence of cues
What is forgetting?
The inability to access or recover information that has previously been stored in memory
What is interference?
When 2 similar memories conflict with each other, causing the forgetting of one or both memories
What is proactive interference?
When an old memory disrupts the recall of a new memory
What is retroactive interference?
When a new memory disrupts the recall of an old memory
What are the strengths of interference as an explanation of forgetting?
McGeoch & McDonal (1931) - lab study
Baddeley & Hitch (1977) - realistic study (rugby)
What was McGeoch and McDonald’s experiment (1931)?
6 groups of participants learn a list
5 of 6 groups learn a new list varying in similarity to the original list
Mean number of words recalled was higher for lists that were the least similar
What was Baddeley & Hitch’s study (1977)?
Participants were rugby union players
Some players who were injured missed matches
Players asked to name all teams they played against in the season
Rugby players who played every match forgot proportionally more games than those who played less.
(Retroactive interference as new team names interfered with the old ones)
What are the disadvantages of interference as an explanation for forgetting?
Lab studies lack ecological validity
Realistic studies may be affected by extraneous variables
Role of interference may be exaggerated (time period)
Interference can be overcome by cues
How do lab studies on interference lack ecological validity?
They use unrealistic material to remember (lists) meaning the findings may not be applicable to everyday life
Why might realistic research studies not be applicable to interference?
Extraneous variables may have caused the different rugby players to remember different things - the rugby players who remember the names may have talked about the different teams recently
How might the role of interference be exaggerated?
Time period between learning material is much shorter than what it would be in real life - may not be applicable
How might the effects of interference be overcome by cues?
Tulving & Pstoka (1971) did a study:
Gave participants 5 lists of 24 words in categories
Recall was 70% for the first list and decreased as lists went on (interference of lists)
When cues given, recall accuracy went back to 70%
What does retrieval failure due to absence of cues suggest about forgetting?
Forgetting is lack of accessibility rather than availability
What is retrieval failure?
When information stored in Long Term Memory cannot be retrieved due to a lack of cues
When information is placed in memory, associated cues are stored at the same time - needed to trigger memory
What is the Encoding Specificity Principle (ESP)?
Tulving (1983) suggests that cues will help retrieval if the same cues are present at coding AND retrieval
What 2 types of cues support ESP?
Cues linked meaningfully to the information
Cues that’s relate to the context in which we learn the information
What are the 2 types of contextual cues?
Context-dependent cues (environment)
State-dependent cues (mood/physiological state)
What is the research support for the Encoding Specificity Principle?
Tulving & Pearlstone (1966)
Participants had to recall 48 words from 1 of 12 categories
Each word presented with the categories it was in
Cue present = 60% accuracy but 40% without
What was Abernethy’s experiment (1940)
Abernethy (1940)
Asked participants to revise for a test
Each participant was in a different group with different combinations of rooms and instructors when learning and taking the test
Participants with the same room and instructor performed better due to the familiar cues
HOWEVER, “ABLE” STUDENTS WERE LESS AFFECTED BY CONTEXT
What are the research supports for context-dependent retrieval failure?
Abernethy (1940)
Godden & Baddeley (1975)
What was Godden & Baddeley’s experiment (1975)?
18 divers asked to learn a list of words and then recall them
4 condition - beach and/or underwater for recall and learning
Recall was better when the learning and recalling environment was similar
What are the weaknesses of context-dependent retrieval failure?
Context may not be a strong factor in real life
Context-dependent retrieval failure depends on the type of memory being tested
Why might context not affect retrieval in real life?
Baddeley argued that the context affect will only happen if the contexts are very different which rarely happens in real life
How does context-dependent retrieval failure depend on type of memory being tested?
Godden & Baddeley did their experiment again but asked for participants to recognise words instead of recall and found that the performance was the same in all conditions
Context-dependent retrieval failure only applies when recalling information rather than recognising it
What is context-dependent retrieval failure?
When we forget information as the environment we learnt information in is different to the environment we recall it in
What is state-dependent retrieval failure?
Retrieval failure occurs due to the absence of the same state of mind when learning and recalling
What is the research support for state-dependent retrieval failure?
Carter & Cassaday (1998)
Gave participants anti-histamines - feel drowsy
Participants had to learn and then recall a list of words
Participants recalled best when their internal state of mind matched when learning and recalling
What are the strength of retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting?
Wide range of research support
Good real life application
What are the research support for retrieval failure?
Tulving & Pearlstone (1996) - ESP
Abernethy (1940) - Context
Godden & Baddeley (1975) - divers - context
Carter & Cassaday (1998 - drugs - state
How does retrieval failure have real life applications?
Good ecological validity in Cater & Cassaday’s study + Godden & Baddeley’s study
Context & state principles used in the cognitive interview
What are the weaknesses of retrieval failure an an explanation of forgetting?
Some studies lack ecological validity - aren’t just learners in a school learning lists - lack of realism
Difficult to test the ESP
Why is it difficult to test the Encoding Specificity Principle?
We don’t know what cues are meaningful to certain people
