retrieval failure

Cards (7)

  • Retrieval failure - a form of forgetting, which occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access memory. The memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided
  • Cue - a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory
  • There are 2 types of retrieval failure:
    Context-dependent forgetting - when information is forgotten because the environment during recall is different from the environment you were in when you were learning.
    State dependent forgetting - when information is forgotten because your mood or physiological state during  recall is different from the mood/state you were in when you were learning
  • Godden and Baddeley
    • Divers learnt a list of words either underwater or on land and then were asked to recall the words either underwater or on land
    • Accurate recall was 40% lower in non-matching conditions 
    The external cues available at learning were different from ones at recall and this led to retrieval failure
  • Carter and Cassiday
    • Participants learnt a list of words either on antihistamines or not and then were asked to recall the words either on antihistamines or not (these would make them slightly drowsy).
    • Performance was significantly worse in non-matching conditions. 
    This shows when cues are absent there is more forgetting
  • Baddeley argued context effects are actually not very strong, especially in real life situations. Different contexts have to be very different before an effect is seen
  • Godden and Baddeley replicated their experiment using a recognition test instead of recall test (pps say whether they recognise a word read to them rather than recall). When recognition was tested, they found no difference in the different contexts