Retrieval Failure Due To Absence Of Cues- explanations of forgetting

what is retrieval failure?

forgetting due to an absence of cues, preventing access to LTM, happens when info stored in LTM cannot be accessed as the necessary retrieval cues are missing

what is the Encodung Specificity Principle?

Tulvung 1983- states that a cue if it's going to be helpful has to be present at both encoding and at retrieval. if cues are different/absent at encoding and at retrieval then forgetting can occur

what are the different types of retrieval cues?

context-dependent cues, state-dependent cues, category-dependent cues

what are context-dependent cues?

related to the place where info was originally stored. e.g. forgetting may occur if u learn info in one room but try to recall it in another unfamiliar room

what are state-dependent cues?

related to the person's emotional or physical state at the time of encoding. A lack of either type of cue cab lead to retrieval failure highlighting the importance of having appropriate cues for effective memory recall

what are category-dependent cues?

type of retrieval cue used in memory recall, especially cue-dependent forgetting. refers to semantic categories (groups of related items) that help trigger the recall of specific info stored in memory. lack of organisation may inhibit memory

experimental support for context dependent cues (underwater vs land)

one strength of retrieval failure theory is the strong experimental support from Godden and Baddeley (1975). In their study, deep sea divers recalled more when the learning and recall environments matched- either both underwater or both on land. accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions. this demonstrates the importance of external contextual cues in memory retrieval and directly supports the theory's central claim that forgetting can occur when these cues are absent, reinforcing the idea that retrieval failure is a valid explanation for some types of forgetting

impact of environmental cues might be overstated

one weakness of the theory of context-dependent forgetting is that it might not apply very well to everyday memory. Baddeley (1977) pointed out that IRL changes in environment are usually small and may not affect memory much, e.g. going from home to school might not be a big enough change to cause forgetting. this means context-dependent forgetting may only happen in unusual/extreme situations, e.g. deep-sea diving. despite theory working well in lab experiments may not explain forgetting in normal daily situations. However there is practical value. Abernethy (1940) proposed that students may improve recall by revising in environments similar to exam conditions or structured cues in notes, making the theory both theoretically useful and practically relevent

experimental support for state dependent cues

Overton (1964) conducted research into state-dependent forgetting. found that participants who learnt material in a particular physiological state, e.g. drunk recalled it better when they were in the same state during retrieval. this suggests that internal cues, e.g. mood/physiological condition can act as triggers for memory recall. Overton's findings support the cue-dependent theory of forgetting by demonstrating that a mismatch between internal states at encoding and retrieval can lead to retrieval failure even if the memory itself is intact

Tulving and Pearlstone: cues enhance research

(1966) provides strong evidence for the importance of retrieval cues in memory. participants learned a lsit of words that were organsied into categories, but only some were given the category names as cues during recall. those with cues recalled more than those without, showing that info can be stored in memory but may not be accessible without right prompts. supports the theory of cue dependent forgetting, suggesting that forgetting often occurs not because the memory is lost but because the correct retrieval cue is missing