Retrieval failure is forgetting due to the inability to access the memory. Access has been restricted by an absence of retrieval cues.
Context dependent forgetting

This is where we forget because we are not in the same context/context cues are absent. Forgetting occurs when recall takes place in a different environment to where it was encoded.
Context dependent forgetting: Godden and Baddeley

Got divers to learn words on land or in water, then tested them on land and in water- recall was 40% higher in matching conditions where context of learning and recall matched. Participants did worse in conditions where context of learning was different to that of recall. We forget due to a lack of contextual clues.
State dependent forgetting

This occurs with internal retrieval cues- the individual's mental state is different at recall when it was coded- we forget as we aren't in the same mental state to when information was encoded in LTM.
State dependent forgetting: Overton

Overton looked at the effects of alcohol and sobriety on recall. He found that when participants were in a different internal state to when they learnt the words, their recall was worse; e.g. learning the words drunk and recalling sober. Therefore, this means that they forgot due to an absence of state dependent cues.
