Forgetting

• What are the different types of forgetting

  Retrieval failure and interference
• What is the definition of retrieval failure

  A form of forgetting that occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access memory.

  The memory is available but we can’t access it unless a suitable cue is provided.

  Forgetting is due to the absence of cues.
• What is the definition of a cue

  A trigger of information that allows us to access memory
• What are the 2 types of cues

  Context dependant learning (external) and state dependant learning (internal)
• What is context dependant learning

  ppts recall is superior when they recall material in the same place which they learnt it (classroom)
• What is state dependant learning (internal)

  Performance on memory experiments are better when ppts are in the same mood/ state for learning and recalling (happy)
• What does ESP stand for

  encoding specific principles
• what did Tulving state with ESP

  that if a cue is to help recall of information then it has to be present at encoding (learning) and retrieval (recall)

  If the cues are available at encoding and retrieval are different forgetting will occur
• what is the supporting study for ESP

  diver study
• what was the diver study supporting the ESP

  deep sea divers learned word lists and then recalled them in 4 different conditions

  1. learn on land / recall on land
  2. learn on land/ recall underwater
  3. learn underwater / recall underwater
  4. learn underwater /recall on land
• what was the conclusion for the diver study

  recall was better conditions 1 and 3 where the context for learning/recall were the same

  the study supports context dependant forgetting
• what are the 4 AO3 points for retrieval failure

  -has real world application

  -impressive range of supporting cues

  -the different environments need to be very different

  -could be a problem with ESP
• what is the definition of interference

  this is when 2 pieces of information are in conflict. one memory disrupts the ability to recall another. the more similar the memories are the more forgetting occurs.
• what are the 2 types of interference

  proactive and retroactive
• what is the definition of proactive interference

  forgetting occurs when old memories disrupt the recall of new memories

  e.g remember your old car reg plate but cant recall the new one
• what is the definition of retroactive interference

  forgetting occurs when new memories disrupt recall of old memories

  e.g. remember your new car reg plate but not your old one
• what is the supporting study for interference

  rugby players
• what was the rugby player study

  Baddeley and Hitch investigated interference effects in everyday setting of rugby players recalling the names of the teams they had played against over a rugby season. some players played in all of the games in the season whereas others missed some games due to injury. the time interval from start to end of the season was the same for all players but the number of intervening games was different for each player because of missed games
• what was the conclusion for the rugby study

  this study supports the interference study because they found that recall did nit depend on length of time but on the number of games played
• what were four AO3 points for interference

  -inference effects may be overcome due to cues

  -support from drug studies

  -validity issues

  -interference in everyday situations is unusual
• retrieval failure

  • retrieval cues have real world application
  • people often go to another room to get an item but often forget but they go back to original room information was learnt and it was remembered
  • when we forget it is probably worth the effort to go back into the environment it was learnt in
  • showing research which can remind us of strategies we use in the real world
• retrieval failure

  • it has impressive range of supporting evidence
  • godden and baddeley show that lack of cues at recall leads to everyday forgetting
  • eysenck and keane argue that retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting in LTM
  • evidence showing that retrieval failure due to lack of cues is in everyday life as well as highly controlled labs
• retrieval failure

  • counterpoint
  • baddeley argues that different contexts have to be very different indeed before an effect is seen. learning something in one room and recalling in another is unlikely to result in much forgetting because the environments are not different enough
  • meaning that retrieval failure due to lack of contextual cues may not explain much everyday forgetting
• retrieval failure

  • problem with ESP
  • retrieval theory is supported by research showing that forgetting occurs due to a mismatch of cues (ESP)
  • however we cannot independently establish whether a cue has been encoded or not so that argument for cues is similar
  • therefore, ESP is not scientifically testable so we cannot be for certain that forgetting is due to retrieval failure
• interference

  • counterpoint
  • interference in everyday situations is unusual because the necessary conditions are relatively rare
  • therefore most everyday forgetting may be better explained by other theoies
• interference

  • interference effects may be overcome due to cues
  • tulving gave ppts lists of words organised into categories
  • recall of lists was 70% bu fell with each new list, when given a cued recall test recall rose back to 70%
  • showing interference is just a temporary loss of access to material still in LTM-not predicted by theory
• interference

  • support from drug studies
  • material learnt before taking diazepams recalled better than a placebo group one week later
  • the new drug stopped new info from reaching the brain areas that process memories so it could not retroactively interfere with stored info
  • showing that forgetting is due o interference-reducing the interference reduced the forgetting
• interference

  • validity issues
  • labs studies of interference have tight control of confounding variables thus clear link between interference and forgetting
  • however, most research in unlike everyday forgetting. in everyday life we often learn something recall it much later
  • meaning that because research is mostly lab based it may overestimate the importance of interference as a cause of forgetting