Retrieval failure

• • Retrieval failure occurs due to the absence of cues/lack of a meaningful link
• • Meaningful cues - info specifically/directly linked to the forgotten memory
• • Meaningless cues - info indirectly linked to forgotten memory (context/external, state/internal)
• Meaningful link:

  • Tulving and Pearlstone 1966, Ps learn 48 words under 12 categories. In free recall, only 40% recall, in cued recall (giving category names) 60% recall
• Context dependent:

  • Abernethy 1940, Students tested before a course, then weekly during course. 4 conditions: A, tested by usual teacher, B, tested by different teacher, C, tested by usual room, D, tested in different room - 4 groups: AC, AD, BC, BD. Group AC had best recall.
• Context dependent:

  • Godden and Baddeley 1975, scuba divers learn word list underwater or on land, then tested underwater or on land. When tested in same area where learnt, recall highest
• State dependent:

  • Goodwin et Al 1969, male Ps given word list to learn when either drunk or sober. Then asked to recall the list 24hrs later either drunk or sober. Those tested in same state they learnt the words had highest recall
• AO3 Criticism:

  • Retrieval cues don't always work, especially when learning more complex topics compared to simple word lists - outshining hypothesis. Smith and Vela 2001, cues effect reduced in the presence of more meaningful/loaded material. Complex info can't be easily remembered by single cues
• AO3 criticism:

  • Nairne 2002, relationship between cues and later retrieval is more a correlation rather than cause, ‘myth of encoding retrieval match, Baddeley 1997, encoding specificity principle impossible to prove as it is circular. If stimulus leads to retrieval, then the memory must be encoded, and if it can't be retrieved it must not have been encoded
• AO3 Support:

  • Much research support, Tulving and Pearlstone showed power of retrieval cues, Abernethy showed importance of context clues, and the experiments mix lab and field studies, so higher validity
  • We can apply Abernethy's study to how we can try to apply findings to real life. Smith 1979, showed that just thinking of the room you have learnt content in can aid recall (mental reinstating). 
• AO3 support:

  • Tulving and Psotka 1971, interference effects due to retrieval failure. When Ps given 24 words in 6 categories. Ps recalled worse the more lists they were asked to learn (retroactive), but all interference effects disappear when given cues of categories, remembering 70% of words regardless of amount of lists learnt