Retrieval Failure Flashcards
what is retrieval failure?
A form of forgetting which occurs when we do not have the necessary cues to access memory
What is the encoding specificity principle?
Information is more likely to be forgotten if the cues that were present at learning are absent at retrieval
What are the two types of forgetting the occur due to retrieval failure?
State dependant- memory retrieval is more successful when your internal state is the same at learn and retrieving
Context dependent- memory retrieval is more successful when the environment is the same at learning and retrieval
Which study shows support for context-dependant forgetting?
Godden and Badddeley (1975)- They gathered a group of divers and gave them a sit of words to learn either in water or on land and they would then recall them in water or on land. They created 4 conditions:
1. learn on land- recall on land
2. learn in land- recall in water
3. learn in water- recall in water
4. learn in water- recall on land
Accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matched conditions because the external cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall leading to retrieval failure.
Which study shows support for state- dependant forgetting
Carter and Cassaday (1998) carried out a study to demonstrate this: Participants were given anti-histamine drugs (for treating hay fever) to their participants. The anti-histamines had a mild sedative effect making the participants slightly drowsy. This creates an internal physiological state different from the ‘normal’ state of being awake and alert. The participants had to learn lists of words and passages of prose and then recall the information, again creating four conditions:
1. Learn on drug- recall when on it 3. Learn not on drug- recall when not on it
2. Learn on drug- recall when not on it 4. Learn not on drug- recall when on it
In the conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall, performance on the memory test was significantly worse. So when the cues are absent (for example, you are drowsy when recalling information but had been alert learning it) then there is more forgetting.
What are the two strength of retrieval failure?
Supporting evidence- lots of evidence in support of retrieval cues on memory. Tulving and Pearlstone (1966) carried out a lab experiment which showed power of retrieval cues on memory and Godden and Baddely showed importance of context- dependant leaning with deep sea divers. Increases validity especially in real life situations.
Real life application- can be used to improve recall when you need to in real life. Abernathy found that students performed better on a test when they took the test in the same room with the same instructor where and who they had studies it with.
What are the two limitations of retrieval failure?
Problems with ESP- the encoding specificity principle is impossible to test. You can’t see if a stimulus has been encoded or not so the ESP can’t be verified. The relationship between encoding cues and later retrieval is a correlation not a cause.
Recall vs Recognition- context may not apply to all memory. Godden and Baddely (1980) replicated their experiment but used a recognition test so they would hear a list of word and when they were tested they had to see if they were on the original list. Recall was the same in all 4 conditions.
