Memory (explanations for forgetting - retrieval failure)

Question 1

What is the main point for forgetting LT info?

Answer 1

Forgetting is mainly due to retrieval failure (lack of accessibility rather than availability). Information which lacks cues.

Question 2

What are cues?

Answer 2

Serve as a reminder, they may link the material to something meaningful like an environmental cue (a room) or a mental state cue( being drunk or sad) - Prompts we associate with a particular memory.

Question 3

Encoding specificity principle -

Answer 3

Tulving and Thomson suggested that it is more effective for the information present at the time of encoding is also present at the time of retrieval. Cues don’t have to be exactly right but close enough to the original encoded memory so it can act as a retrieval.

Question 4

External cue -

Answer 4

Something that occurs in the environment that cause a recall due to it being similar to something we encoded and acts as a retrieval cue.

Question 5

Internal cues -

Answer 5

Types of cues that we felt and thought around the time of encoding. Our won emotions inside for example when feeling sad about something we remember a previous encoded memory where we felt sad.

Question 6

Cue - dependant forgetting -

Answer 6

Unable to find a retrieval cue that allows us to gain memory.

Question 7

Context - dependant forgetting (external cues)

Answer 7

Abernethy tested students before a certain course began. Tested each work, some were tested in the same room with the same usual instructor whereas others by a different instructor in a different room, there were four experimental conditions, those tested in the same room learning with the same instructor were most significant and effective, Godden and Baddeley (1975) also used scuba divers in terms of learning a series of words on land and underwater and then either learnt them in the same or different places to where they learnt them. Showed highest recall on the same place where they learnt and recalled.

Question 8

State - dependant forgetting (Internal cues) -

Answer 8

Goodwin asked a list of male volunteers to learn words either drunk or either sober. (Those drunk inhibited 3 times the UK driving limit. They asked them to recall the words 24 hours later some sober and the others had to get drunk again. Results showed that when drunk again and had previously learned words drunk the recall was much higher showing support for state dependant forgetting.

Question 9

Real-world application (high ecological validity)

Answer 9

Abernathy’s research suggests where you are taking your exams you should learn the content. Smith did suggest that remembering where the previous room of where you learnt the content is actually as much effective of being in the same room of the time of retrieval. The cognitive interview is a good example of remembering where you were allows an effective recall and declines cue - dependant forgetting. Therefore the research can suggest strategies for improving recall in real-world situations.

Question 10

Retrieval cues do not always work - limitation

Answer 10

The issue is information is much more heavily related to more than just the use of cues for example learning something much more than word lists. Milgram’s research into obedience involved complex associations not just word lists where recall is not triggered by a single cue. This then explains that retrieval cues can explain some every day events but not everything.