Retrieval Failure

Question 1

What is Retrieval Failure

Answer 1

• Forgetting in LTM is mainly due to retrieval failure. This is the failure to find an item of information because you have insufficient clues or cues.
• If someone gave you a hint then the memory might pop into your head but, in the meantime, you are faced with a
  blank.
• It is possible that you have a vast store of memories and could access them - if only someone could provide the right cues.

There are two main different types of cue:
1. The context where initial learning takes place/external cues in the environment

2. The state (mood) you were in may act as a cue later.

It is believed that if you are in the same context and/or same state as you were when both encoding and retrieval takes place then recall will be greater.
This is known as
the Encoding Specificity Principle.

Question 2

A03 - Goodwin’s Drunk/Sober study

Answer 2

• Support for the notion that internal /state cues act as an aid for recall is demonstrated through the findings of Goodwin et al (1969).
  -He asked participants to learn a list of words when they were either drunk or sober.
• The mood/feeling produced by presence or absence of alcohol is an internal cue.
• The Ps were asked to recall the list after 24 hours when some
  were sober and some were drunk. Drunk recall was higher with drunk learning, sober recall was higher with sober learning, supporting the state dependent theory of forgetting.
• However, we must be cautious when applying these findings as evidence for state dependent theory, as the consumption of alcohol affects individuals in different ways and could confound the results, reducing the validity of the findings as well as the applicability
  when other state factors, (other than alcohol) are involved.

Question 3

A03 - Abernethy’s Classroom Study

Answer 3

• Support for the notion that external cues act as an aid for recall is demonstrated through the findings of Abernethy’s study.
• He arranged for a group of students to be tested before
  a course began.
• They were then tested each week, some, in their usual teaching room by their usual instructor, some by a different instructor.
• Others in a different room either by their usual instructor or by a different one.
• Those tested by the same instructor in the same room
  had the highest level of recall.
• This supports the cue dependent theory that external cues aid
  retrieval.