AO3

• Strength

  There is an impressive range of research that supports the retrieval failure explanation. Godden + Baddeley and Carter + Cassaday show that lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to either context-dependent or state-dependent forgetting. Eysenck and Keane argue that retrieval failure is perhaps the main reason for forgetting in LTM. Evidence it occurs in real-world situations as well as in highly controlled conditions of the lab.
• However, Baddeley argues that context effects are not very strong. Contexts must be extremely different e.g. land and underwater. Environments generally not different enough.
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  Limitation 

  Context effects may depend substantially on the type of memory being tested. Godden and Baddeley replicated their experiment but used a recognition test instead of recall. Pps had to say if they recognised a word read to them on the list. There was no context dependent forgetting, performance remained the same. Limited explanation.
• Strength

  Cn help to overcome forgetting in everyday situations. Cues may not have a very strong effect of forgetting Baddeley suggests they are still worth paying attention to. E.g. walking into another room and forgetting why and then remembering once you are in the second.

  Remembering the environment where you first learned the information can help us remember our recall.