2.6 Retrieval Failure - Explanations for Forgetting

2.6 Retrieval Failure - Explanations for Forgetting

1. Retrieval failure is where information is available in long term memory but cannot be recalled without cues.

2. Tulving (1983)

   • Reviewed research and discovered a consistent pattern calling this the encoding specificity principle. This states that a cue has to be both present at encoding and present at retrieval.

3. Context-dependant forgetting

   • Recall depends on external cue - weather or place
   • Godden and Baddeley (1975)
     • Procedure: Studied deep sea divers and made them learn a list of words either underwater or on land then recall them in either of those contexts.
       • Findings: In two of the conditions where the environmental contexts of learning and recall did not match recall was 40% lower. Concluding that external cues at learning were different to those at retrieval so there was retrieval failure.

4. State-dependant forgetting

   • Recall depends on internal cue - feeling upset or being drunk
   • Carter and Cassaday (1998)
     • Procedure: Gave antihistamine drugs to participants which had a mild sedative effect. The participants then had to learn lists of words and passages in 4 conditions, drunk learn not drunk recall and vise versa or same condition in both.
       • Findings: In conditions where there was a mismatch between internal state at learning and recall, performance on memory test was significantly worse.

5. Evaluation

   • Strengths:
     • Real world application. Retrieval cues may help to overcome forgetfulness in everyday situations. Showing how research can remind us of strategies used in real life.
     • Research support. Impressive range of research that supports retrieval failure explanation.
   • Weaknesses:
     • Recall vs recognition. Context effects may depend substantially on the type if memory being tested. Retrieval failure is only an explanation for forgetting because it applies when a person has to recall information rather than recognise it.