Retrieval failure

Question 1

1. What is the Retrieval failure theory?
2. What is a cue?

Answer 1

1. It is the belief that forgetting occurs when we don’t have the necessary cues to access the memory.
2. It is a trigger of information that allows us to access a memory.

Question 2

What is the Encoding specific principle?

Answer 2

• Tulving (1983) reviewed research into retrieval failure and discovered the encoding principle.
• It states that if a cue is to help us recall information, it has to be present at both encoding and retrieval.

Question 3

What other cues are encoded at the time of learning?

Answer 3

1. Context-dependent forgetting (recall depends on external cues - stimuli from the environment that influence behaviour etc)
2. State-dependent forgetting (recall depends on internal cues - patterns of thinking that help trigger specific memories)

Question 4

What research was conducted to explore context-dependent forgetting?

Answer 4

• Godden & Baddeley (1975) studied deep-sea divers who work underwater to see if training on land helped or hindered their work underwater to conduct research on context-dependent forgetting.
• The divers learned a list of words either underwater or on land and then were asked to recall the words either underwater or on land (this created 4 conditions)
• They found that accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions. They concluded that the external cues available at learning were different from the ones available at recall (this led to retrieval failure)

Question 5

What research was conducted to explore state-dependent forgetting?

Answer 5

• Carter & Cassaday (1998) gave anti-histamine drugs to their participants which made them drowsy to conduct research on state-dependent forgetting.
• Participants learned lists of words and passages of prose either before or after taking the drugs and then recalled the information either before or after taking the drugs (this created 4 conditions)
• They found that accurate recall was significantly worse in non-matching conditions. They concluded that when cues are absent, then there is more forgetting.

Question 6

(AO3) What is a strength of Retrieval failure?

Answer 6

Supporting evidence:

• Studies by Godden & Baddeley and Carter & Cassaday show how a lack of relevant cues at recall can lead to either context-dependent forgetting or state-dependent forgetting in everyday life.
• Eysenck (2010) argues that retrieval failure is perhaps the main reason for forgetting from LTM

-This is a strength because supporting evidence increases the validity of an explanation, especially If supporting evidence is collected from real-life situations.

Question 7

(AO3) What is a weakness of Retrieval failure?
(1)

Answer 7

Questioning context effects:

• Baddeley (1997) argues that context effects are not very strong, especially in everyday life.
• Similar environments are unlikely to result in much forgetting, as compared to completely different environments.

-This is a limitation as it means that retrieval failure due to a lack of contextual cues may not actually explain much about everyday thinking.

Question 8

(AO3) What is a weakness of Retrieval failure?
(2)

Answer 8

Recall vs Recognition:

• Godden & Baddeley (1980) - replicated their underwater experiment but instead used a recognition test rather than a recall test.
• When recognition was tested there was no context-dependent effect; performance was the same in all four conditions
• This is a limitation because it suggests that retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting because it only applies when a person has to recall information rather than recognise it.