Forgetting- retrieval failure

• What is Retreival Theory?

  (Cue-dependent Forgetting)When you don't have the necessary cues to access memory. (Cue-dependent forgetting)
• What two types of forgetting are in Cue-dependent forgetting?

  Context-dependent FailureState-dependent Failure
• What is Context-dependent forgetting?

  Where recall occurs in an external setting or code (e.g. a certain smell/environment)
• What was the divers study to explain context-dependent faliure? (Godden and Baddeley)

  This study looked at how external cues present at the time of encoding affected memory recall.

  Divers learnt a list of words either underwater or on land- then asked to recall the words either on land or water.

  Four groups

  Land- Land

  Land- Water

  Water- Land

  Water- Water
• What was the findings for the divers study? (Godden and Baddeley)

  Recall 40% lower in non-matching conditions

  External cues are available at learning were different from recall there was a lack of cues.
• What is State-dependent faliure?

  Where recall occurs in different internal setting to coding.
• Negative Evaluation Points for Retrieval Failure? (CDF)

  Baddeley argues that context effects aren't as strong in real life

  Most are laboratory based- lacks EV
• What is the Encoding Specifity Principle (ESP)?

  Tulving reviewed research into retrieval failure and concluded that cues can help us recall information if the cue was present at encoded and at retrieval.

  The closer the retrieval cue is to the original cue, the better the cue works.

  It can't be tested fully.
• What is a limitation to do with context effects as an explanation for forgetting? (AO3)


  • Contexts effects are not as strong as suggested in Godden and Baddeley's study (or carter and cassaday).
  • Different contexts have to be very different for an effect to occur. E.g. Learning something in one room and recalling it in another is unlikely to lead to forgetting as the rooms are not massively different.
  • Overall a limitation of real life application ability as contextual cues don't explain forgetting as much as thought to. Studies exaggerating this lack explanatory power
• What is a further limitation of Godden and Baddeley's study to do with type of memory being tested? (AO3)

  • Context effects may be related to the kind of memory being tested
  • Gooden and Baddeley replicated original experiment using a recognition test instead of recall
  • Ppts had to say if they recognised a word read to them
  • No context-dependent effect found, performance was same in all 4 conditions
  • Therefore further limitation of context effects as absence of cues only affects memory depending on the way you test recall
• REAL LIFE APP STRENGTH (AO3)

  • However, research into the impact of context and internal states on memory and the ability to recall information has led to the development/real life application on improving eyewitness testimony reports.
  • By recognizing that external cues must match for accurate recall and to avoid forgetting, the cognitive interview has been devised, employing techniques such as ‘reinstating the context’ to decrease this happening.
  • This has led to the improvement of eyewitness testimony accuracy in using the CI, in comparison to the standard SI, helping police retrieve more details on cases to then help them catch prosecutors.
  • Therefore, research has had strong application into real life situations in improving recall.