Memory - forgetting - retrieval failure

Question 1

what is retrieval failure

Answer 1

• a form of forgetting
• occurs when we don’t have the cues to access memory

Question 2

what is a cue

Answer 2

• a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory

Question 3

what is the encoding specificity principle

Answer 3

• developed by Tulving 1983
• a cue has to be both present at encoding and retrieval
• if cues are absent or different there will be forgetting
• context dependent forgetting
• state dependent forgetting

Question 4

what is context dependent forgetting

Answer 4

• recall depends on external cues

Question 5

what is the research into context dependent forgetting

Answer 5

Godden and Baddeley (1975)
- asked deep sea divers to learn and recall words
- learn + recall on land
- learn + recall underwater
- learn on land, recall underwater
- learn underwater, recall on land
- recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions
- external cues at learning and recall were different and led to forgetting

Question 6

what is state dependent forgetting

Answer 6

• recall depends on internal cue

Question 7

what is the research on state dependent forgetting

Answer 7

Carter and Cassaday (1998)
- gave antihistamines to participants and learn and recall words
- learn on drug, recall on drug
- learn on drug - recall not on drug
- learn not on drug - recall on drug
- learn not on drug - recall not on drug
- mismatch between conditions recall was worse = more forgetting

Question 8

what are the strengths of retrieval failure

Answer 8

Smith (1979)
- thinking of the room where you did the learning was as effective as being in the room at the same time of retrieval

• more deeply information is processed when more links and associations are created
• decreases chances of forgetting

Baddeley
- different contexts have to be very different for an effect to be seen
- forgetting is unlikely as the environments aren’t similar enough