explanations for forgetting - retrieval failure

Question 1

absence of cues

Answer 1

• insufficient cues leads to forgetting
• when info is placed in memory, associated cues are stored at the same time
• if cues aren’t available at the time of recall, it appears as though you have forgotten the info but this is actually due to retrieval failure
• cues are needed to access the original memory trace

Question 2

knowledge of lack of cues in real life

Answer 2

• eg. helping people with dementia
• memory boxes with photos, music etc. to aid cues
• helps to access lost memories

Question 3

encoding specificity principle (Tulving)

Answer 3

• discovered a consistent pattern in retrieval failure
• ESP states that a cue has to be both present at encoding (when we learn material), as well as at retrieval (when we recall it)
• if the cues available at encoding and retrieval are different, then some forgetting will happen
• greater the similarity between encoding and retrieval, greater likelihood of recalling original memory

Question 4

two examples of non-meaningful cues

Answer 4

context dependent forgetting - recall depends on external cue (eg. weather or place)

state dependent forgetting - recall depends on internal cue (eg. feeling upset or being drunk)

Question 5

research on context dependent forgetting (Godden and Baddeley)

Answer 5

type of experiment - field

IV - whether on land or underwater
DV - how many words recalled

procedure - studied deep sea divers to see if training on land helped or hindered their work underwater. learned a list of words on land, recalled when underwater and then the other way around

conditions - learn on land and recall on land, learn on land and recall underwater, learn underwater and recall underwater, learn underwater and recall on land

findings - accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions, external cues available at learning were different to those available at recall, led to retrieval failure

Question 6

research on state dependent forgetting (Carter and Cassaday)

Answer 6

type of experiment - lab

IV - whether on drug or not
DV - how many words recalled

procedure - gave antihistamine drugs to patients which made them drowsy (different to being awake and alert), had to learn lists of words and passages of prose and then recall

conditions - learn on drug and recall on drug, learn on drug and recall when not on drug, learn not on drug and recall when not on drug, learn not on drug and real when on drug

findings - performance was worse when the conditions didn’t match, so when the cues are absent there is more forgetting