Retrieval failure

• Cue dependent forgetting - is an explanation for forgetting based on an absence of cues that were present when the memory was learnt
• Tulving et al asked participants to learn six word lists. All the words were divided into categories e.g animals
• Tulving et al- In the first condition the participants were not told the categories of the words In the second condition participants were told about the categories
• Tulving et al- found that recall was higher when participants knew the categories in advance The presence of the cues (in condition 2) had recall rates of 70% compared to 50% in condition 1.
• State dependent forgetting - People find it easier to recall information if they are in the same emotional and/or physical state as they were when they originally learnt it
• Goodwin et al asked 48 male medical students to learn a list of words either drunk or sober. They were then asked to recall the words 24 hours later
• goodwin et al This was either in the same condition: Drunk on both occasions/sober on both days Or they were asked to recall the words in the opposite state i.e. learnt drunk so recalled sober.
• goodwin et al found that information learnt when drunk was more easily accessed the next day if drunk again. When the state was different the next day then recall was shown to be the worse.