Retrieval failure

• Proactive and retroactive interference

  Explanations for forgetting due to absence of information placed in our memory, associated cues are slowed at the same time
• Availability


  Explanation of memory from the point of view of the information in our long-term memory, but we can't get it because we don't have the cues that enable us to access it
• The memory is there, just not available
• Encoding Specificity Principle


  A cue is going to help us recall information, it has to be present at encoding (when the information goes into your head) and at retrieval (when we try to access the information)
• If the cues are absent at retrieval or they don't match the cues that were present at encoding, then we forget the information
• Content Dependent Forgetting


  The CONTEXT that you are in when you are retrieving the information, otherwise you will forget
• The context you are encoding information has to match the context when you are retrieving it
• State Dependent Forgetting


  The STATE that you are in when encoding information has to match the state when you are retrieving the information, otherwise you will forget
• These are INTERNAL cues e.g. drunk, sober, drowsy, alert mood, emotion
• Supporting evidence (CONTEXT DEPENDENT)

  • Godden and Baddy studied sea divers who learned on land and recalled on land, learned underwater and recalled underwater, learned underwater and recalled on land, learned on land and recalled underwater - recall was higher when context matched
• Supporting evidence (STATE DEPENDENT)

  • Eich and Metcalfe found that recall was higher when the state (drug/no drug) matched between learning and recall
• Evaluating the supporting evidence - the studies typically lack control for demand characteristics and other confounding factors, which weakens support for the theories
• It is difficult to test the theories directly because we are making inferences about internal cognitive processes based on observable behaviour, so we cannot be certain that forgetting is due to lack of cues or state-dependent processes