Explanations Of Forgetting - Retrieval Failure Flashcards
What is retrieval failure?
An explanation for forgetting based on the idea that the issue relates to being able to retrieve a memory that is available but not accessible.
Tulving and Thomson - Encoding specificity principle
Proposed that the memory is most effective when information that was present at the time of coding is also present at the time of retrieval.
Two types of retrieval failure due to the absence of cues:
Context-dependent failure
State-dependent failure
When does context-dependent failure occur?
Occurs when environmental cues are missing.
When does state-dependent failure occur?
When an individual’s emotional state is different when trying to recall information.
Tulving and Pearlstone - value of retrieval cues
A study where participants had to learn 48 words belonging to 12 categories. Each word was presented as a category and a word In said category.
40% words recalled when asked to free recall
60% words recalled when given retrieval cues
Abernathy (1940): Context-dependent forgetting
AIM + PROCEDURE
To investigate whether context forgetting could have an effect on the result of student tests.
Students beginning a course tested weekly:
4 conditions:
- some students testing in their teaching room with same instructor
- some in same room but different instructor
- some students in different room with same instructor
- some in different room, different instructor.
Abernethy (1940) findings
Groups that were tested E in the same room with the same instructor scored the best in their tests.
Godden and Baddeley: Context-dependent forgetting
AIM AND PROCEDURE
Whether the context of a memory is encoded and retrieved in recall.
Procedure: Divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land and then asked to recall words either underwater or on land.
4 conditions:
Learn on land - recall on land
Learn on land - recall underwater
Learn underwater - recall underwater
Learn underwater - recall on land
Godden and Baddeley - Findings
Accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions
Carter and Cassaday: State-dependent forgetting
AIM AND PROCEDURE
If the state information is encoded in can affect an individual’s recall when in a different state.
Procedure: Gave anti-histamine drugs to their ppts. Anti-histamines made ppts slightly drowsy, creating a different internal psychological state than being awake and alert. Task was to learn words and recall
4 conditions:
Learn on drug - recall when on it
Learn on drug recall when not on it
Learn without drug - recall when not on it
Learn without drug - recall when on it
Carter and Cassaday - findings
In conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall, performance on the recall was significantly worse.
Goodwin et al: State dependent forgetting
Asked male volunteers to remember a list of words when they were either drunk (3x the UK drink driving limit) or sober.
Asked to recall the lists after 24 hours, either drunk or sober. Those with mismatched recall and learning states had significantly worse performance.
Strengths of Forgetting: Retrieval Failure
P - Research Support
E - Abernathy with context-dependent learning and T&P with retrieval cues - range of evidence
E - evidence base has relevance to retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting
L - high ecological validity of the research
P - retrieval failure explanation for its application to the real world
E - Abernathy, students do get tested in real life. Revising in the rooms with the same instructor when being tested.
E - Research can be applied to real-life which shows relevance in a wider context
Limitations of Forgetting - Retrieval Failure
P - Retrieval cues do not always work.
E - Smith and Vela (2001) context effects are largely eliminated when learning meaningful material.
E - Provides an incomplete understanding
P - Issue of causation between coding cues and retrieval
E - Nairne, cues do not cause retrieval, they are just associated with retrieval.
