retrieval failure theory of forgetting Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is retrieval failure?
A form of forgetting that occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access memory.
What is a cue in the context of memory?
A ‘trigger’ of information that allows us to access a memory.
What does retrieval-failure theory argue?
Forgetting will occur when the contexts of learning and recall are different.
What is the main reason we forget material from our long-term memory?
The material is not accessible due to a lack of the right cues.
What is the encoding specificity principle (ESP)?
It states that a cue has to be present at encoding and retrieval to be helpful.
Give an example of a meaningful cue.
STM
What are two examples of non-meaningful cues?
Context-dependent and state-dependent cues
What is context-dependent forgetting?
Recall depends on external cues (e.g. weather or a place)
What is state-dependent forgetting?
Recall depends on internal cues (e.g. feeling upset or being drunk)
Who studied context-dependent forgetting with deep-sea divers?
Godden and Baddeley
What was the procedure in Godden and Baddeley’s study?
Divers learned words on land or underwater and recalled in the same or different environment.
What were the findings of the deep-sea diver study?
Accurate recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions.
Who studied state-dependent forgetting using antihistamine drugs?
Carter and Cassaday
What was the effect of antihistamines in the state-dependent forgetting study?
Caused a mild sedative effect, making participants slightly drowsy
What were the findings of the antihistamine study?
Mismatch between internal state at learning and recall worsened memory test performance.
How can retrieval cues help in real-world situations?
They can help overcome some forgetting in everyday situations.
What do the studies by Godden, Baddeley, Carter, and Cassaday show?
Lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to context-dependent and state-dependent forgetting.
What do Michael Eysenck and Mark Keane (2010) argue about retrieval failure?
It is the main reason for forgetting from LTM.
What is Baddeley’s (1997) counterpoint to retrieval failure?
Context effects are not very strong in everyday life unless contexts are very different.
What is the limitation of retrieval failure regarding recall versus recognition?
It primarily applies when a person has to recall information rather than recognize it.
What did Godden and Baddeley find when they replicated their original experiment, but tested RECOGNITION instead?
No context-dependent effect; performance was the same in all four conditions.
