Explanations for forgetting - retrieval failure

what is retrieval failure?

A form of forgetting

• occurs when we don't have the necessary cues to access memory

• The memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided so it can then help us 'find' memory in our LTM and transfer to our STM

• The memory is available but not accessible unless a suitable cue is provided so it can then help us 'find' memory in our LTM and transfer to our STM

What does the encoding specificity principle state?

for a cue to help us access a memory, it must be present when we encode the memory and when we try to retrieve the memory.

What is context-dependent forgetting?

Can occur when the environment during recall is diff from the environment you were in when you were learning

What is state-dependent forgetting?

can occur when your mood or physiological state during recall is different from the mood u were in during learning the info