Retrieval Failure

• Retrieval due to absence of cues is sometimes called cue-dependent forgetting.
• Cue-dependent forgetting is a theory for why we cannot recall from long-term memory.
• Internal and external cues, such as mood state, temperature, and smell, can facilitate recall of a long-term memory.
• Forgetting in long-term memory is attributed to a lack of access to a memory rather than the availability of a memory.
• Similar context and feelings during recall increase the chances of recalling a memory.
• A cue acts as a reminder and helps aid our memory.
• Context-dependent cues are in the environment.
• State-dependent cues can be within the individual, how they feel.
• A lack of cues results in retrieval failure.
• A cue is a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory.
• People can forget information because of insufficient cues.
• Encoding specificity principle was suggested by Tulving (1983) after his research into retrieval failure.
• Tulving (1983) found that for cues to be helpful, they must be present at encoding (learning) and present at retrieval (recall).
• Cues are used to help us remember information such as mnemonics (where each letter of a word represents something).