Explanation for forgetting: retrieval failure

• Background

  • People may also forget due to insufficient cues (not enough or not good enough in quality)
  • Cues are stored at the same time as memories so if someone is unable to recall information it may be due to cues not being coded in the first place but it is more likely due to accessibility issues rather than availability
• Encoding Specificity principle

  • Cues have to be present at both encoding and retrieval
  • If the cues are different at encoding and retrieval or a cue is absent at retrieval, some level of forgetting will occur
  • The cues do not have to be the exact same, the more similar the better
• Two types of non-meaningful cues

  • Context-dependent forgetting: Recall depends on an external cue (such as weather)
  • State dependent forgetting: Recall depends on internal cues (such as emotion, mental state)
• State dependent forgetting (Carter and Cassada)

  1. Participants were made drowsy with antihistamines, creating a different psychological state from regular awareness/alertness

  2. Participants memorised and recalled word lists under one of four conditions: learning on drug, recall on drug; learning on drug, recall not on drug; learning not on drug, recall on drug; learning not on drug, recall not on drug
• Memory was significantly worse when the conditions were mismatched
• Recall versus recognition

  So, context effects may vary with the type of memory tested. In Godden + Baddeley's study, using a recognition test showed no context effect, suggesting retrieval failure might not fully explain forgetting.
• Real world application

  Cues can aid in overcoming forgetting. Baddeley emphasized the importance of paying attention to cues as they can help recall memories, showcasing the practical application of research in daily life.
• Research support

  Retrieval failure is a key reason for LTM forgetting, supported by research from Eysenck + Keane. Their findings apply broadly to both lab studies and real-life situations.
• Counterpoint

  Some evidence questions retrieval support. Baddeley noted context effects might not be strong in daily life, making the findings less widely applicable.