Explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure

Question 1

What is Retrieval failure?

Answer 1

• A form of forgetting which occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access memory
• Memory is available but not accessible until cue is provided

Question 2

What are cues?

Answer 2

• A ‘trigger’ of information that allows us to access a memory.
  Include indirect external or internal cues

Question 3

What is Tulving’s encoding specificity principle?

Answer 3

• This states that a cue has to be both present at encoding and present at retrieval for it to be helpful
• if encoding & retrieval are different will be some forgetting

Question 4

What is an example of cues encoded in a meaningful way?

Answer 4

mnemonic techniques

Question 5

What are two examples of cue encoded in a non meaningful way?

Answer 5

• context-dependent forgetting- recall depends on external cue (weather or place)
• State dependent forgetting- recall depends on internal cue (being upset etc)

Question 6

Who did research on context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 6

Godden & Baddeley

Question 7

Outline Godden & Baddeley’s procedure

Answer 7

• studied deep sea divers who work underwater to see if training on land helped or hindered their work underwater
• 4 conditions:
  -learn on land- recall on land
  -learn on land- recall underwater
  -learn underwater- recall underwater
  -learn underwater- recall on land

Question 8

What were Godden & Baddeley’s findings?

Answer 8

• In two of these conditions the environmental contexts of learning & recall matched
• accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions which led to retrieval failure
• this was due to difference in external cue at learning & recall

Question 9

Who did research on state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 9

Carter & Cassaday

Question 10

Outline Carter & Cassaday’s procedure

Answer 10

• gave antihistamine drugs to their participants
• created an internal psychological state different from the ‘normal’ state of being awake & alert
• 4 conditions:
  -learn on drug-recall on drug
  -learn on drug- recall when not on drug
  -learn not on drug-recall on drug
  -learn not on drug - recall not on drug

Question 11

What were Carter & Cassaday’s findings?

Answer 11

• conditions were there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall performance on memory test= significantly worse

Question 12

What is a strength of retrieval cues as an explanation for forgetting?

Answer 12

• RC >help to overcome some forgetting in everyday situations
• Baddeley suggested they’re worth paying attention to
• e.g. all had experience of being in one room & thinking I need to get something from another room
• go to other room and forget what you wanted but the moment you go back to original room we remember
• context dependent forgetting =credible
• reminds us of strategies used in real life to improve recall

Question 13

What is another strength of retrieval failure explanation ?

Answer 13

• impressive range of research that supports
• studies by Godden & Baddeley & Carter & Cassaday show that a lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to context & state dependent forgetting
• Memory researchers argue that retrieval failure is main reason for forgetting in the LTM
• shows retrieval failure occurs in real world situations

Question 14

What is a limitation of retrieval failure?

Answer 14

• context effects may depend on the type of memory being tested
• Godden & Baddeley replicated their underwater experiment but used a recognition test instead of recall
• p’s had to say whether they recognised a word read to them from a list
• effects of context-dependent forgetting disappeared=performance same
• limited explanation retrieval failure only applies when a person has to recall not recognise

Question 15

What is another limitation of retrial failure as an explanation?

Answer 15

• the encoding specificity principle (ESP), suffers from circular reasoning and lacks falsifiability
• According to ESP, if a cue helps recall, we assume it must have been encoded at learning. But if the cue does not help recall, we assume it was not encoded
• means it’s impossible to test whether a cue was genuinely present or absent during encoding
• makes the theory unfalsifiable, as it cannot be disproven or objectively verified.
• lack of independent criteria for judging whether acue was encoded undermines the scientific validity of the theory.