Retrieval Failure theory Flashcards
What causes retrieval failure?
Lack of available cues at the time of retrieval
What is Tulvings 1983 Encoding Specificity Principle?
Cues help retrieval if the same ones are present both at encoding and retrieval. If the cues available at encoding and retrieval are different or absent, there will be some forgetting.
What is context-dependent forgetting?
When the recall depends on an external cue (weather, place)
What is state-dependent forgetting?
When the recall depends on an internal cue (feeling, intoxication)
When was Godden and Baddeley’s context-dependent forgetting experiment?
1975
What was the procedure of Godden and Baddeley’s context-dependent forgetting experiment?
Deep-sea divers learned word lists and were later asked to recall them. 4 conditions, learned/recalled on land/underwater.
What were the findings of Godden and Baddeley’s context-dependent forgetting experiment?
Accurate recall was 40% lower in mismatched contexts than in matching contexts. Retrieval failure was due to the absence of encoded context cues at time of recall- the material wasn’t accessible.
When was Carter and Cassaday’s state-dependent forgetting experiment?
1998
What was the procedure of Carter and Cassaday’s state-dependent forgetting experiment?
Participants learned lists of words/ prose and later recalled them. 4 conditions, learned/recalled on antihistamine drugs.
What were the findings of Carter and Cassaday’s state-dependent forgetting experiment?
Recall was worse with mismatched cues. When the cues at encoding are absent at retrieval, there is more forgetting.
Strength of retrieval cues, real-world application
People often go to a room to get something then forget what it is that they wanted, however remember when they go back to the original room.
Limitation- supporting evidence have drastically different contexts
Baddeley in 1975 argued that the different contexts have to be very different before the effect is seen- learning in one room and recalling it in another is not likely to result in much forgetting as the environments aren’t different enough.
Limitation- context effects vary in recall and recognition. Godden and Baddeley 1980
G&B 1980 replicated their underwater experiment using a recognition test instead of recall. There was no context- dependetn effect. This suggests retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting because it only applies when a person has to recall information rather than recognize it.