Carter and cassaday state dependent forgetting

• What was the aim of Carter & Cassaday's (1998) study?

  To test effects of state-dependent forgetting
• What procedure was used in the study?

  • Participants learned word lists and prose
  • Given either an antihistamine or placebo
  • Four conditions for learning and recall:

  1. Learn on drug, recall on drug
  2. Learn on drug, recall off drug
  3. Learn off drug, recall on drug
  4. Learn off drug, recall off drug
• What were the findings regarding recall in the study?

  Recall was worse with mismatched internal states
• What condition resulted in the best recall?

  Same state at learning and recall
• What conclusion was drawn from the study?

  State-dependent forgetting occurs with mismatched states
• How does the study support the encoding specificity principle?

  Physiological states at encoding aid retrieval
• What are the evaluation points for the study?

  Strengths:

  • High control: Lab experiment → high internal validity
  • Real-world application: Understanding memory and state-dependent cues

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Low ecological validity: Artificial task, drug-induced states
  • Ethical concerns: Potential side effects of drugs
• What type of experiment was conducted in the study?

  Lab experiment
• Why is the ecological validity considered low in this study?

  Due to artificial tasks and drug-induced states
• How can the findings of this study be applied in real life?

  Helps understand memory in exam performance
• What ethical concerns were raised in the study?

  Use of drugs may have side effects