Explanations for forgetting:Retrieval Failure

• retrieval failure is a form of forgetting in which the necessary cue is not there. The memory is available but not accessible.
• A limitation of retrieval failure is:

  Recall versus recognition 

  Godden and Baddeley replicated their study but used a recognition test instead( whether they recognized a word from a list)

  Performance was the same in all 4 conditions. 

  Suggests that retrieval failure is limited for forgetting as it only applies when a person has to recall information rather than recognize it. 
• strengths of retrieval cues include-

  Real world application- baddeley suggests cues are worth paying attention to eg going into a room and forgetting what you needed, so it’s better to try recall  the environment in which you learned it first 
• What were Goddens and Baddeleys findings?

  Accurate recall was 40% lower in non matching environments. Concluded that the external cues available at learning were different to ones at retrieval? Which led to retrieval failure
• What were the four conditions in Goddens and Baddeleys study? 

  learn on land- recall on land 

  Learn in water- recall in water 

  Learn in land- recall in water 

  Learn in water- recall on land 
• What did Godden and Baddeley discover? ( context dependent forgetting)

  Studied deep sea divers who work underwater to see if training on land helped or hindered their work underwater. 

  Divers learn Ed a list of words either in water or land and were asked to recall. 
• state dependent forgetting( non meaningful cue) is when recall depends on internal cue ( feeling upset, being drunk)
• context dependent forgetting( non meaningful cue)

  is when recall depends on external cue( weather, place) 
• ncoding specificity principle according to Tulving( 1983)

  states that if a cue is to be helpful then it must be there when material is encoded and when it is retrieved
• a cue is a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory. Such cues may be meaningful or may be indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning.