Forgetting - Retrieval failure Flashcards
define retreival failure
Is a form of forgetting that occurs when we dont have the necessary cues to access a memory. The memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided.
define cue
A trigger of information that allows us to access a memory. Such cues may be meaningful or may be indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning; eg. external/ internal
what did Tulving 1983 discover
The encoding specificity principle.
define the encoding specificity principle
This states that if a cue is to help us recall info it has to be present at encoding and at retrieval.
what types of cues are there
cues may be meaningful
or
may be encoded at a time of learning but not in a meaningful way:
- context (external) cues
- state (internal) cues
define context dependent
Context-dependent memory refers to improved recall of specific information when contextual cues relating to the environment are present at encoding and retrieval
define state dependent
State-dependent memory refers to improved recall of specific information when cues relating to emotional and physical state are the same during encoding and retrieval.
describe a piece of research on context dependent forgetting
Godden and Baddeley (1975)
- The aim of the experiment was to see if there was better recall when the learning environment was the same as the recall environment
- Conducted an experiment where 18 deep sea divers were asked to recall a list of 36 unrelated words.
- There were four conditions: learn on land- recall on land, learn on land- recall underwater, learn underwater-recall underwater and learn underwater- recall on land.
Explain the results of Godden and Baddely
They found that recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions because the external cues available at learning were not available at recall.
These results showed that the external environment acted as a cue to recall.
evaluate the Godden and Baddeley research 1975
weakness
A weakness of the experiment is that it lacks ecological validity. This is a weakness because while the environment was familiar to the divers the test was irrelevant to everyday life. This means that the results of the experiment are difficult to apply to other situations.
describe a piece of research on state-dependent forgetting
Goodwin et al
* investigated the effect of alcohol on state-dependent retrieval.
* They found that when people encoded information when drunk, they were more likely to recall it in the same state.
* For example, when they hid money and alcohol when drunk, they were unlikely to find them when sober. However, when they were drunk again, they often discovered the hiding place.
describe the Tulving and Pearlstone 1966 research
with findings
- Participants were ask to learn lists of words belonging to different categories, for example names of animals, clothing and sports.
- Participants were then asked to recall the words.
- Those who were given the category names recalled substantially more words than those who were not. The categories provided a context, and naming the categories provided retrieval cues.
- Tulving and Pearlstone argued that cue-dependent forgetting explains the difference between the two groups of participants. Those who recalled fewer words lacked appropriate retrieval cues.
Cue-dependent forgetting explains the difference between the two groups of participants = The categories provided a context, and naming the categories provided retrieval cues. Those who recalled fewer words lacked appropriate retrieval cues.
Evaluate retreival failure theory of forgetting
strength
There is considerable evidence to support retrieval failure as a theory of forgetting from lab experiments. The ecological validity of these experiments can be questioned, but their findings are supported by evidence from outside the laboratory. this mean that the theory is a plausible explanation for forgetting.
