Memory: Retrieval Failure Flashcards
what’s retrieval failure?
it occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access memory. the memory is available but not accessible until a suitable cue is provided.
what’s a cue?
a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory. they may be meaningful or may be indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning.
what’s the encoding specificity principle?
if a cue is to help us recall information,it has to present at the time of encoding and at retrieval. if the cues are different at these times, it leads to forgetting.
what’s context-dependent forgetting?
Godden + Baddeley studied deep-sea divers working underwater. the divers learned a list of words on either land or underwater and then had to recall either on land or underwater. they found accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions. the external cues were different at encoding and retrieval.
what’s state-dependent forgetting?
Carter + Cassaday gave anti-histamine drugs to their participants (mild sedative effect) making them drowsy, creating an internal physiological state. they learned a list of words either on the drug or not at encoding and either on it or not at retrieval. they found the mismatch conditions had worse performance as the cues were absent.
what’s the supporting evidence for retrieval failure?
there’s an impressive range of studies supporting retrieval failure, Godden + Baddeley and Carter + Cassaday. Eysenck argued that retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting. this evidence increases validity, especially as there’s evidence of real-life situations and controlled lab conditions
what’s the questioning of context effect?
Baddeley argued the context effects might not be strong enough. different contexts have to be very different before an effect is seen. if the environments aren’t different enough, it’s less likely to result in forgetting. this meaning real-life application or retrieval failure being context dependent doesn’t explain forgetting.
what’s recall vs recognition?
the context effect may be related to the kind of memory being test. Godden + Baddeley replicated their study but used a recognition test instead of recall. participants say whether they recognise the word read to them rather than retrieving it. performance was the same in all 4 conditions. it means the absence of cues only affects a certain type of memory.
