explanations for forgetting – retrieval failure.
Encoding specificity principle (Tulving)
- A cue must be both present at encoding (when we learn the materials) and present at
retrieval (when we are recalling it)
- If the cues available at encoding and retrieval are different there will be some forgetting
- Some cues are encoded at the time of learning in a meaningful way.
- Encoding (learn) the way we store a memory and the information and cues we
associate with it, these can be meaningful, state or context dependent.
- Retrieval (remember) the more of the cues or information we had when we stored
the memory, the more likely we are to recall it.
Cues and information at encoding can be environmental (context dependent) or physical (state
dependent)
Context dependent forgetting – occurs when the context is different e.g., the place
where something encoded and then retrieved are different.
Research on context dependent forgetting (Godden and Baddeley) – divers’ study
- Divers were asked to learn a list of words:
- Learn on land – recall on land
- Learn on land – recall underwater
- Learn underwater – recall on land
- Learn underwater – recall underwater
- Recall was 40% less when the context was different for the learning and recall.
State dependent forgetting – occurs when a person’s mental or physical state differ
between learning and recall.
Research on state dependent forgetting (Goodwin et al) – drunk student’s study
- Got students to hide money and alcohol when they were drunk, they then asked them
to find it when they were sober. They got the students drunk again and they could find
the money.
Carter and Cassaday gave antihistamine drugs (for treating hay fever) to ppts. drugs had a
mild sedative effect creating a physiological state that is different from a normal state of being
completely alert. The ppts had to learn lists of words and prose; in four conditions:
Learn whilst on drug - recall whilst on drug
Learn whilst on drug - recall when not on drug
Learn not on drug - recall whilst on drug
Learn not on drug – recall when not on drug
Encoding specificity principle (Tulving)
- A cue must be both present at encoding (when we learn the materials) and present at
retrieval (when we are recalling it)
- If the cues available at encoding and retrieval are different there will be some forgetting
- Some cues are encoded at the time of learning in a meaningful way.
- Encoding (learn) the way we store a memory and the information and cues we
associate with it, these can be meaningful, state or context dependent.
- Retrieval (remember) the more of the cues or information we had when we stored
the memory, the more likely we are to recall it.
Cues and information at encoding can be environmental (context dependent) or physical (state
dependent)
Context dependent forgetting – occurs when the context is different e.g., the place
where something encoded and then retrieved are different.
Research on context dependent forgetting (Godden and Baddeley) – divers’ study
- Divers were asked to learn a list of words:
- Learn on land – recall on land
- Learn on land – recall underwater
- Learn underwater – recall on land
- Learn underwater – recall underwater
- Recall was 40% less when the context was different for the learning and recall.
State dependent forgetting – occurs when a person’s mental or physical state differ
between learning and recall.
Research on state dependent forgetting (Goodwin et al) – drunk student’s study
- Got students to hide money and alcohol when they were drunk, they then asked them
to find it when they were sober. They got the students drunk again and they could find
the money.
Carter and Cassaday gave antihistamine drugs (for treating hay fever) to ppts. drugs had a
mild sedative effect creating a physiological state that is different from a normal state of being
completely alert. The ppts had to learn lists of words and prose; in four conditions:
Learn whilst on drug - recall whilst on drug
Learn whilst on drug - recall when not on drug
Learn not on drug - recall whilst on drug
Learn not on drug – recall when not on drug
