Retrieval Failure

• What is retrieval failure?

  Forgetting information due to the absence of cues. The information is available but not accessible
• Define the Encoding Specificity Principle


  Cues at learning must be present at retrieval to aid memory
• Name the two types of retrieval failure

  State-dependent and context-dependent forgetting
• What is context-dependent forgetting?

  Memory is more effective if the external environment is the same at learning and recall
• What is state-dependent forgetting?

  Memory is more effective if your internal state is the same at learning and recall
• If you learnt information in one classroom and if you recall that information in a different classroom you are more likely to experience retrieval failure - which type of retrieval failure is this?

  Context-dependent forgetting
• Which researchers showed evidence for context-dependent forgetting?

  Godden and Baddeley (1975) - deep sea divers
• Describe Godden and Baddeley (1975) - deep sea divers experiment


  x Deep sea divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land and then asked to recall the words either underwater or on land, creating four conditions 1, Learn on land - recall on land 2. Learn on land - recall underwater 3, Learn underwater - recall underwater 4, Learn underwater - recall on land x Recall = 40% lower in non-matching conditions --> External cues available at learning were different from the ones at recall leading to retrieval failure
• Which researchers showed support for state-dependent forgetting?

  Carter and Cassaday (1998) - anti-histamines
• Describe Carter and Cassaday (1998) - anti-histamines study


  x Participants given anti-histamine drugs making them drowsy x Participants had to learn lists of words and passages of prose and then recall information creating four conditions: 1, Learn on drug - recall on drug 2, Learn not on drug - recall when not on it 3, Learn on drug - recall when not on it 4, Learn not on drug - recall when on it x In conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall was significantly worse.
• Which researchers showed support for the encoding specificity principle?

  Tulving and Pearlstone (1966)
• Describe Tulving and Pearlstone's (1966) study


  x Participants had to learn a list of 48 words belonging to categories x Recalled in one of two conditions: = FREE RECALL --> given no categories = CUED RECALL --> Given categories x Participants in free recall condition recalled 40% of words x Participants in cued recall recalled 60% of words.