Explanations of Forgetting; Retrieval Failure - Evaluation

Explanations of Forgetting; Retrieval Failure - Evaluation

1. Real Life Application

   • Allowed us to know what to do to encourage memory retrieval e.g. when taking exams
   • Abernethy
     • Suggests students should revise in the room which they take their exams
   • May be unrealistic to be in same environment but can use imagination
   • Smith
     • Showed that thinking of the room where students did original learning (mental reinstatement) was just as effective as being on the same room at the time of retrieval
   • Mental reinstatement is the first step in the cognitive interview process
     • Use with eyewitnesses to recall info more accurately

2. Methodology

   • Research not confined to lab experiments
   • Lots of evidence from real life situations that forgetting is due to lack of retrieval cues
   • Increases ecological validity as it accurately reflects the context and state cues in forgetting in everyday situations
   • Uses irrelevant word lists that have little relevance to ppts so may illicit DCs
   • Ppts may have less motivation to learn and remember words in the procedure
   • Limits the extent to which research can tell us about forgetting

3. Too Simplistic

   • James Nairne
   • Claims the relationship between encoding cues and later retrieval is a correlation rather than a cause
   • Cues do not cause retrieval, they are just associated with retrieval
   • Can be argued memories are forgotten because of interference especially if they are similar in nature