Explanations for forgetting- Retrieval Failure

• What is retrieval failure?

  The reason people forget information is because of the insufficient cues
• Who talks about the encoding specificity principle?

  Tulving
• What is the encoding specificity principle?

  The greater similarity between the encoding and the retrieval event , the greater the likelihood of recalling the original memory
• What are the 2 types of retrieval failure?

  - Context dependent forgetting

  - State dependent forgetting
• What is context dependent forgetting?

  Aspects of the external environment work as cues to memory. So being in a different place would inhibit memory as we would lack environmental cues
• what study supports context dependent forgetting?

  Godden and Baddeley

  - Studies divers asking them to learn new material either on dry land or while underwater, then tested either on dry land or water. It was found recall was worse if in different context and best if same. For example information was learnt underwater was recalled best underwater.
• What is state dependent forgetting?

  Aspects of our internal environment work as cues to memory. So being in different emotional state would inhibit memory as we would lack state dependent cues.
• What study supports state dependent forgetting?

  Overton

  - Asked participants to learn material either drunk or sober. Then tested them on this information when they were drunk or sober. It was found that recall was worse if in different internal state and better if in internal state was the same. For example information was learnt drunk it was recalled best drunk
• Evaluation: Strength- Supporting studies

  Baddeley and Godden and Overton study