Lesson 9 Forgetting: Retrieval Failure Theory Flashcards
Retrieval Failure
Retrieval failure argues that forgetting occurs in the absence of appropriate retrieval cues. When information is initially placed in memory, data associated with this information is stored at the same time. If these retrieval cues are not available at the time of recall, it may make it appear as if you have forgotten the information when in fact you just cannot access it at that time.
Some retrieval cues are linked to the material that needs to be remembered in a meaningful way, for example, the anagram ‘STM’ may lead people to recall all sorts of information about short term memory. Other retrieval cues are coded at the same time of learning but not in a meaningful way.
Context Cues
The environment in which material is learnt can act as a retrieval cues. This means that if you recall information in the same environment that you learned it (e.g. the same classroom) then your recall will be better. If you are not in the same context at retrieval as you were at coding then forgetting can occur.
State Cues
An individual’s physical state (e.g. mood) can affect their recall. Research studies suggest that recall is facilitated if people have a similar physical state at recall as when the information was coded. If you are not in the same physical state at recall as you were when you learned the information then you might fail to access the information.
Advantages of Retrieval Failure Theory
+ Abernethy (1940) demonstrated the importance of context-dependent cues. They tested participants’ recall using a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar instructors and teaching rooms. Participants tested by a familiar instructor, in a familiar room, performed the best because the instructor and room acted as retrieval cues.
+ Godden and Baddeley (1975) also demonstrated the importance of contextdependent cues. They asked divers to learn and recall word lists on either dry land or underwater. Results showed that words learnt and recalled in the same context were better remembered as there were retrieval cues to help them remember the words
+ Darley et al. (1973) showed the importance of state-dependent cues. They found that participants who hid money in a large warehouse while under the influence of cannabis were more likely to recall the hiding place when in a similar drugged state.
+ Retrieval Failure has practical applications. Whenever possible students should learn/revise in the room, in which they will take their final exams.
Disadvantages of Retrieval Failure Theory
- Baddeley (1997) argues that the influence of retrieval cues is not actually very strong. In real life, we often recall something in a different context to where we learnt it. For instance, students do not often take their GCSE examinations in the classroom where they learned the information they need for that exam.
