evaluation

• • one strength of retrieval failure is that the supporting evidence comes from lab experiments.
  • experiments like Tulving and Pearlstone were done in the lab, the IV (presence of cues) was manipulated and the extraneous variables were controlled. This allowed them to establish a cause and effect relationship between the presence of cues and forgetting.
  • This means that retrieval failure is a valid explanation for forgetting.
• • one weakness that the evidence lacks mundane realism.
  • This is because it involved meaningless stimuli. For example Tulving and Pearlstone's research involved a meaningless list of words which was made up and had no correlation to real life.
  • This means retrieval failure is not a valid explanation for forgetting.