Retrieval Failure Flashcards
What does retrieval failure argue
that forgetting occurs in the absence of appropriate retrieval cues
What happens when information is initially placed in memory according to retrieval failure
Data associated with the information (retrieval cues) is stored at the same time
-> if the retrieval cue is not available at the time of recall, you may not be able to access the information, so it seems that you have forgotten it
What are the 2 types of retrieval cues
- state cues
- context cues
What are context cues
When the environment in which the material is learnt in acts as a retrieval cue
E.g. if you learnt in the classroom and take a test there, your recall will be better
if you are not in the same context at retrieval as you were at coding, what can occur
Forgetting
What is a state cue
-> 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.
AO3 Point 1 + Abernathy (1940)
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.
AO3 - Point 2 + (Godden & Baddeley context divers)
Godden and Baddeley (1975) also demonstrated the importance of context- dependent cues. They asked divers to learn and recall word lists on either dry landor 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.
AO3 Point 3 (State dependent cues)
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.
AO3 - Point 4 : practical application
- Whenever possible students should learn/revise in the room, in which they will take their final exams.
- context and state principles used in the cognitive interview (context reinstatement) to help memory recall
AO3 Point 5 — Baddeley says it’s not like real life
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.
What’s the encoding specificity principle
(tulvig, 1983) that cues will help retrieval if the same cues are present at coding (when we learn) and retrieval (when we recall).
-> the closer the retrieval cue to the original, the more effective the cue in triggering the memory
