retrieval failure Flashcards
what does the retrieval failure explanation state
the reason we forget is not because the memory has disappeared. the memory is in our mind, we’re just having a problem accessing the memory. we lack the right cue to trigger the recall of memory
what is cue-dependant retrieval failure
happens when you cant access a memory in LTM as there no cues to help you
what did Envel Tulving propose
the encoding specificity principle
what is the ESP
the cues available at recall need to be the same specific cues that were there at learning when we first encoded the memory
what can happen if the cues at encoding aren’t available
forgetting may happen
what is a cue
Memory cues external reminders that help people recall target information. they are stimuli that prompt a memory. it provides the context required to retrieve the memory
what is retrieval failure broken down into
context dependant and state dependant forgetting
what is context dependant forgetting
at recall, we lack the EXTERNAL cues that were present at learning. it occurs when people struggle to recall information if they’re in a different context than when the information was recalled
why does context dependant forgetting lead to retrieval failure
if we’re trying to recall a memory but the external contextual cues are missing or you are trying to recall the information in a different location from where you learned or encoded the information we can fail to retrieve the memory
give an example of CDF
the idea of retracing your steps to find a missing item. the external cue of the environment, where the item was lost, often helps find the item as the original context helps recall information
what is state dependant forgetting
at recall we lack the internal cues that were present at learning. this can be psychological or physiological.
give an example of SDF
in an exam, people tend to forget because they are in a tense state. when they were learning and encoding the information for the exam into their memory, they were not in that state. the internal cues are absent the memories have not disappeared.
how did Godden and Baddeley investigate CDF
they tested scubadivers on their ability to remember lists of words under four conditions. there were 13 males and 5 females from a university diving club
what were the four conditions in G&B
condition 1 - learn underwater, recall underwater
condition 2 - learn underwater, recall on land
condition 3 - learn on land, recall underwater
condition 4 - learn on land, recall on land
what kind of design did G&B use
a repeated measures design was used so each participant took part in 4 conditions over 4 different days
what were the findings of G&B
they found that recall was the best for conditions one and four. the cues available at recall were the same as learning. recall was worse for conditions two and three as the contexts were different.
what did G&B show
it shows how we can forget if contextual cues are absent during recall.
how did Carter and Cassady study SDF
they wanted to see if taking an antihistamine (changing internal state) would affect memory recall. they had participants try to free recall a list of 20 words and free recall a short passage of information
what were the conditions of C&C experiment
condition 1 - learn with no drug, recall with no drug
condition 2 - learn with no drug, recall with drug
condition 3 - learn with drug, recall with no drug
condition 4 - learn with drug, recall with drug
what were the findings of C&C
the amount participants could recall was affected by the state they were in. recall was higher when they were in the same internal state at recall and learning. retrieval failure happened when they were in different states at encoding and recall
what are the criticisms of retreival failure theory (1)
the context or state you are in has to be dramatically different from the contect or state you encoding the info in. the ones used in experiments is unlike many of the day-to-day experiences of forgetting. the explanation doesnt account for why we might forget in circumstances that aren’t so dramatic or where things are fairly similar.
what are the criticisms of retrieval failure theory
lacks ecological validity - not everyone can dive. their findings might not be generalisable to the wider population.
there are ethical issues with both studies - diving is a risky sport and people can have adverse reactions to antihistamine drugs
what are the strengths of retrieval failure theory
it can have real life application to revision. having the right cues and triggers are needed to help us recall information. we can make use of memorable cues when revising such as mnemonics.
the use of experiments with standardised procedures means that research in this field is likely to be reliable. they theory has good application to school settings.
