Explanations for forgetting - Retrieval failure

what is retrieval failure?

An explanation for forgetting

• occ when we don't have nec cues to access a mem

• mem still there, we just can’t ‘find it’

• cues can help us 'find' mem in our LTM + transf to our STM

What does the encoding specificity principle state?

ESP: for a cue to help us access a mem, must be present when we encode the mem + when we try to retrieve the mem

• when we encode a mem, info from environm + our state is stored at same time

• this info acts as cue to recall a mem

What is context-dependent forgetting?

can occ when environ during recall is diff from environ u were in when u were learning the info

What is state-dependent forgetting?

can occur when ur mood/physiological state during recall is diff from mood u were in during learning the info

what research supports retrieval failure as an explanation of forgetting?

• Godden + Baddeley asked deep-sea divers to learn list of words

• half of ppts did this on beach 🏖 + other half underwater 🫧

• f those who learned + recalled info in same environ recalled more words than those who learned and recalled in diff environ due to environ cues → supp CDF

• Carter + Cassaday gave hay fever drugs to some ppts making them slightly drowsy then asked ppt to learn list of words

• f those who learned words in same state recalled more words than those learning in + recalling in diff states due to state cues → supp SDF

• T: incr cred of RFE, supp id of RF as expl of forgetting

how does supporting research contain LMR + LEV?

• inv tasks which are not meaningful + unlike tasks we perf in everyday life (eg word/trigram lists)

• carried out in lab which is artif setting + unlike rl

• may have infl ppt beh in study, changed way they would norm use their mem

• T: decr extern valid, means may not be able to gen findings from these studies to retrieval fail irl

how does the supporting research have HCOEV?

• studies carried out in labs so easier to ctrl any extran vari such as time of day/noise + standardise expt such as info being recalled

• theref unlikely any extran vari will have infl DV

• T: incr ext valid, c&e can be est

how can research into RT be PATRL?

• RF rs led to development of cog int which has allowed police to gain more acc + detailed info from EW

• idea of cues helps EW rmb more

• eg asking them to visualise scene + how they were feeling at time of crime

• T: incr val of rs, means police int is more accurate + better able to protect innocent ppl from convictions based on unreliable EWT