Forgetting: Retrieval Failure

• What is Retrieval Failure about?

  Difficulty recalling information due to lack of cues that were present during learning.
• What happens if the cue present during learning are not present during recall?

  We cannot access memories that are actually there
• What does the Encoding Specificity Principle state?

  Tulving suggest that cues help in retrieval if the same cues are present during encoding and retrieval.

  • The closer the retrieval cue is to the original cue, the better it works.
• What is State-Dependent Forgetting?

  Memory retrieval is influenced by the individual's internal state at the time of encoding.
• What does State-Dependent Forgetting mean by Internal State?

  An example will be being sober whiles learning an during retrieval.

  Another example will be learning whiles on drugs and retrieving whiles on drugs.
• What did Carter and Cassidy do and find?

  THey did a study using Hayfever Medication.

  • When Internal state did not match (Learnt on the drug, recalled of drug), recall was worse.

  When learnt on drug and recalled on drugs, recall was better.
• What is Context-Dependent Forgetting?

  Memory retrieval is dependent on an external/ environmental cue
• What did Godden and Baddeley do?

  Study on Deep-Sea Divers
• What did Godden and Baddeley find?

  • When environmental cues did not match (learn on land, recalled underwater), recall was 40% lower than when the cues matched.

  Recall was better when both environmental cues mathed.
• Strength of Retrieval Failure Theory

  1. There is lots of research and evidence that supports this explanation.

  • Context-related cues have useful everyday applications.
• Weakness of Retrieval Failure Theory?

  Encoding Specificity Principle cannot be tested.

  • This makes it hard to know whether cues really do aid in retrieval

  The contextual effects only happen when memory is tested in certain ways.

  • This means that it does not really apply to all types of forgetting such as being in the same state but still forgetting or having the same context but still forgetting the information.
  • This suggest that there are other factors that may play a part in forgetting and it is not based on just the cues.