Retrieval failure

Cue

A trigger (word, phrase, picture) that allows us to access a memory. Such cues may be meaningful or may be indirectly linked by being encoded at the time of learning. Indirect cues may be external (environmental context) or internal (mood)

Retrieval failure

A form of forgetting. It 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

Context-dependent forgetting

Recall depends on external cue (weather or place)

State-dependent forgetting

Recall depends on internal cue (feeling upset/happy)

Encoding specificity principle - Tulving

Reviewed research into retrieval failure and discovered a consistent pattern to the findings.

Summarised pattern in encoding specificity principle.

States that a cue has to be both:

1. Present at encoding

2. Present at recall

Some cues are encoded at the time of learning but not in a meaningful way.

Godden and Baddeley 1975 study

Studied deep-sea divers who work underwater.

Wanted to see if training on land helped with work underwater or not.

Learnt a list of words and recalled them in 4 different conditions:

1. Learn on land, recall on land

2. Learn on land, recall underwater

3. Learn underwater, recall on land

4. Learn underwater, recall underwater.

Accurate recall was 32% lower in non-matching conditions.

Concluded that in non-matching conditions, the external cues available at learning were different from the ones available at recall and this led to retrieval failure.

Carter and Cassady 1998 study

Gave antihistamine drugs to participants that had a mild sedative seffect so participants were a bit drowsy. Creates an internal physiological state different from the usual state of being awake and alert.

Participants had to learn lists of words and passages of prose and then recall it, with 4 different conditions.

1. Learn on drug, recall on drug

2. Learn on drug, recall not on drug

3. Learn not on drug, recall on drug

4. Learn not on drug, recall not on drug

In conditions with a mismatch, memory was significatly worse

When cues are absent, there is more forgetting.

S Eysneck and Keane

Shows range of research that supports the retrieval failure explanation

Argued that retrieval failure is the main reason for forgetting for LTM.

Evidence shows that retrieval failure occurs in real-world situations as well as in the highly-controlled conditions in the lab.

W Murre

Difficult to separate the effects of context and state dependent forgetting

There would be changes in body temperature, oxygen levels and breathing patterns when submerged in the diver's study.

The changes in their physiological states could’ve had a bigger influence on the reduced rate of recall.

Suggests that we cannot be sure whether Godden and Baddeley’s findings were the result of context or state dependent forgetting.

W Godden and Baddeley

Replicated their original study and tested recognition instead

Participants had to say whether they recognised a word read to them from a list, instead of retrieving it.

No context dependent effect with recognition so performance was the same in all four conditions.

Suggests that retrieval failure is a limited explanation for forgetting as it only applies for recall rather than recognition

S Abernethy

Supports context dependent forgetting.

Students were tested before they started a couse and then were tested every week. Either tested by their usual teacher in the usual room or by an unfamiliar teacher in a unfamiliar room.

Recall better for those who had learnt the information in the same context as they recalled it.

S Overton

S Darley

W Ethics

Participants had to learn when drunk. Recalled better when they were drunk again rather than sober. Supports state-dependent forgetting.

Participants were given marijuana. Had to hide money while high. Recalled memory was better when they were high again rather than sober. Supports state-dependent forgetting.

Both unethical - Participants could get addicted to the substance