Memory- retrieval failure

Memory- retrieval failure

1. Encoding Specificity Principle (ESP)

   • Tulving, 1983
   • A cue must be present at both encoding and recall

2. Context-dependent forgetting

   • External cues
   • Godden and Baddeley, 1975
   • Studied deep sea divers recall of a word list
     • Learning: on land
       • Recall: on land
         • Best
     • Learning: on land
       • Recall: in sea
     • Learning: in sea
       • Recall: in sea
     • Learning: in sea
       • Recall: on land
         • Best
     • In the two conditions in which context of learning and recall was the same, recall was better
       • Accuracy was 40% worse in non-matching conditions
         • Lead to retrieval failure

3. State-dependent forgetting

   • Carter and Cassaday, 1998
   • Internal cues
   • Studied effects of anti-histamines on recall of a word list
     • Recall: on drug
       • Learning: on drug
     • Recall: not on drug
       • Learning: on drug
     • Recall: not on drug
       • Learning: not on drug
     • Recall: on drug
       • Learning: not on drug
     • Anti-histamines cause drowsiness
       • Matching internal states caused better recall

4. Evaluation

   • Supporting evidence
     • Godden+ Baddeley
     • Carter+ Cassaday
     • Increased validity
       • Especially because retrieval failure is shown to occur in real life situations
   • Context effects not very strong
     • Contexts have to be very different for any effect to be seen
     • Not a full explanation
   • May only affect recall, not recognition
     • Baddeley and Godden replicated their study, but the divers had to say if they recognised the word read to them
       • Performance was the same in all 4 condition
   • ESP can't be tested
     • Circular arguments aren't scientific
     • Based on assumptions
   • Real life application
     • Going upstairs, forgetting reason, going downstairs and remembering