Retrival Failure AO3

Question 1

What are the strengths of retrival failure

Answer 1

1. it is supported by a range of evidence (for example Eysenck suggests it’s the main reason for forgetting)
2. has real world applications as it can be used to revise for exams
3. it may be more important than interference

Question 2

What are the weaknesses of retrival failure?

Answer 2

there are issues with encoding specific principle as it can’t be tested as it’s based off the assumption that the successful recall in the experiments is based on cues were encoded at the time of recall but we have no way of measuring that

Question 3

What evidence is there to support the idea that retrival failure can be applied to revision?

Answer 3

Smith who suggested that just thinking of the room you were in when learning occured is as effective in increasing recall as being in the room itself.

Question 4

What evidence is there to support the idea that retrival failure would be more important than interference?

Answer 4

Tulving and Psotka’s experiment

Question 5

Describe Tulving’s and Psotka’s experiment?

to support retrival failure being more important than interference

Answer 5

• participants given a list of words in catagories to remember
• they were then given cues
• they found then when given cues, affect of interference dissapeared and remembered 70% of the words regardless of how many lists they’d been given
• this shows that interference can be stopped by cues so the limiting factor in recall must be retrival failure

Question 6

What is the counter agrument for the evidence supporting retrival failure?

Answer 6

most of the supporting evidence was done in a lab. therefore the stimuli is likely lab based and may not be applicable to real life recall activities