Explanations for forgetting: Retrieval failure Flashcards
(9 cards)
What is retrieval failure as an explanation?
-Argues that an absence of cues that were present when they were learned causes retrieval failure and not being able to access memories that are there
What term did Tulving create after reviewing research into retrieval failure and what did it state?
-Encoding specificity principle (ESP): claimed that a cue must be both present at encoding (learning) and present at retrieval
What is an example of a meaningful cue?
-Mnemonic techniques
What are two examples of non-meaningful cues and what are they?
1)Context-dependent forgetting: recall dependent on external cue (weather or place)
2)State-dependent forgetting: Recall depends on internal cue (emotions, being drunk)
What was Godden and Baddeley’s research on context dependent forgetting?
-Divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land and asked to recall the words either underwater or on land
e.g. Learn on land – recall on land
or earn underwater– recall on land
What was the findings and conclusions of Godden and Baddeley’s research on context-dependent forgetting?
-Accurate recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions.
-Concluded that the external cues available at learning were different from the ones available at recall led to retrieval failure.
What was Carter and Cassaday’s research on state-dependent forgetting?
-They gave antihistamine drugs to participants which has a mild sedative effect making the participants slightly drowsy.
-Participants had to learn lists of words and passages of prose and recall the information in 4 conditions
-e.g. Learn on drug, recall on rug ; learn on drug, recall when not on drug
What were the findings of Carter and Cassaday’s research on state-dependent forgetting?
-In conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall, performance on the memory test was significantly worse
-So when cues are absent (differences in internal cues) there is more forgetting
What are the strengths of the retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting?
-Real-world application: can enable us to create strategies to better our recall. e.g. worth making an effort to recall the environment in which information was learn when there is retrieval failure. This is supported by the experience of forgetting what you were looking for when u leave a room.
Research Support: Studies by Godden and Baddeley and Carter and Cassaday illustrates how a lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to forgetting. Eysenck and Keane argue retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting LTM. Therefore retrieval failure occurs IRL and in lab conditions.
However, Baddeley himself argues that conetxt effects are not very strong, especially IRL. e.g. hard to find an environment as different as land from underwater. This means that retrieval failure due to lack of contextual cues may not explain much about everyday forgetting.
