explanations for forgetting: retrieval failure

• lack of cues can cause retrieval failure as when information is initially placed in memory, associated cues are stored at the same time. If the cues are not available at the time of retrieval, you might not access memories that are actually there
• Cues help retrieval if the same ones are present both at encoding and at retrieval. If the cues available at encoding and retrieval are different there will be some forgetting
• meaningful links is the cue of ‘STM’ which leads you to recall lots of material about short term memory. Not meaningful links are:

  • context-dependent forgetting- recall depends on external cue like weather or place
  • state-dependent forgetting- recall depends on internal cue like being drunk or feeling upset
• Procedure of Godden and Baddeley study on contexx- dependent forgetting: deep-sea divers learned word lists ad were later asked to recall them, Condition 1- learn on land and recall on land, condition 2- learn on land and recall underwater, condition 3- learn underwater and recall on land, condition 4- learn underwater and recall underwater
• Findings and conclusions of Godden and Baddeley study one contest-dependent forgetting: accurate recall was 40% lower in conditions 2 and 3 (mismatched contexts). Retrieval failure was due to absence of encoded context cues at time of recall as material was not accessible as it was forgotten
• procedure of Carter and Cassaday study on state-dependent forgetting: Particpants learned lists of words/prose and later recalled them. Condition 1- learn on drug and recall on drug, condition 2- learn on drug and recall not on drug, condition 3- learn not on drug and recall on drug, condition 4- learn not on drug and recall not on drug
• Findings and conclusions of Carter and Cassaday study on state-dependent forgetting: recall was significantly worse in conditions 2 and 3 (mismatched cues) compared with conditions 1 and 4 (matched cues). When the cues at encoding are absent at retrieval then there is more forgetting
• One strength of retrieval cues is that they have real world application. People often go to another room to get an item but forget what they wanted, but they remember again when they go back to the original room. When we have trouble remembering something, it is probably worth making the effort to recall the environment in which you learned it first. This shows how research can remind us of strategies we use in the real world to improve our recall
• One strength of retrieval failure due to lack of cues is large range of supporting evidence. For example, Godden and Baddeley and Carter and Cassaday show that lack of cues at recall leads to everyday forgetting. In fact, Eysenck and Keane argue that retrieval failure is perhaps the main reason for forgetting in LTM. This evidence shows that retrieval failure due to lack of cues occurs n everyday life as well as in highly controlled labs
• One limitation of retrieval failure is that context effects may vary in recall and recognition. Godden and Baddeley replicated their underwater experiment using a recognition test instead of recall. There was no context-dependant effect. Findings were the same in all 4 conditions whether the contexts for learning and recall matched or not. This suggests that retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting because it only applies when a person has to recall information rather than recognise it