Say what retrieval failure is (3 context cues)
Say what retroactive and proactive interference is (PORN)
Say how this links to Natasha’s situation
Do three PEELS, briefly referring to Natasha
Retrieval failure is when you can't correctly retrieve something due to an absence of cues.
There are 3 main cues, 1 being an absence of context cues. Having an absence of context
cues is when your external environment does not match the external environment you were
in when you were learning said thing. For example, if you were revising in bed you will forget
what you revised in an exam because the environment you were in when studying didn't
match up to the exam hall. Another is an absence of state cues, this is when your internal
state doesn't match the internal state you were in when learning the new information. For
example, if you ate 3 whole meals the day of revising but didn't eat breakfast and sat an
exam with an empty stomach you would be more prone to forgetting what you revised. The
third cue is organisational cues.
Interference as an explanation for forgetting is split up into 2 sections and it's when
information interferes with each other and therefore makes a person confused, leading them
to forgetting. One interference is proactive interference and it's when old information like
your old phone number interferes with new information like your new phone number after
receiving a new phone for christmas. Retroactive interference, the second part of this
explanation is when new memory like a new bank pin interferes with old information like your
old bank pin. You may be trying to be something but keep accidentally forgetting the new pin
and only remembering the old one because of this interference.
In Natasha’s case, when she was rehearsing her lines at home that could lead to retrieval
failure through an absence of context cues because the environment she performed in
wasn't the same as her bedroom. This could lead her to forgetting her lines because a
different environment leads her to failing to retrieve the information she learnt. In addition,
she could have had proactive interference because it's stated that she forgot her lines and
accidentally said her old GCSE drama lines. This is because those old lines (old information)
interfered with the new lines she was learning (new information) which led her to saying the
old lines by accident and therefore forgetting the new ones.
A strength of the retrieval failure due to an absence of cues is that there is prior research
done to support the idea it leads to forgetting. In 2004 Bakker found that people who chewed
gum during learning and during retrieval, retrieved a lot more information than those who
didn't chew gum at all and those who did chew gum when learning but not when retrieving
(and vise versa). Not only does this study support the fact that an absence of cues can lead
a person to forgetting due to a failure to retrieve fully, it's also a fairly recent study which
means it can be generalised to more people. For example, in Natasha’s drama
performance, if she had known about this she would have rehearsed with an audience, on a
stage preferably, to mimic the environment she would be performing in to prevent her from
forgetting her lines and retrieve them more effectively.
, Adding on to this, another strength of retrieval failure is the practical applications it has.
Because this theory is not overly complex to understand or achieve, it is very helpful for
people in our society, especially students, for when they do exams. This theory also
significantly helps people to study and revise well which is very helpful and productive for
society.
The police could use the cognitive interview to help Danielle recall the event of the crime by
asking her to give every detail she remembers of that event whether it was to do with the
crime or not to ensure the police can gain as much information as possible and even help
Danielle to recall while explaining. Another thing the police could do is take her to the scene
of the crime to try to help danielles recall the event because if she witnesses it again it could
spark up memories she didn't recall prior. Furthermore, the police could ask her to recall the
events backwards, this is to make sure Danielle isn't lying and to possibly spark more recall.
Finally, they could ask Danielle to recall the events of the crime from a different perspective
to see if any new information will be recalled, whether significant to the crime or not.
In 1887 Jacobs researched short term memory, specifically the capacity of short term
memory supporting the multi-store with the serial digit spa method where participants are
presented with incredibly long lists of numbers or letters and have to immediately recall them
in the right order.
Another research supporting the multi-store model on short term memory is Baddeley in
1966 where he gave participants words in different groups. He had a list of words which
sounded the same, words which all had the same meaning, words which all sounded
different and words which all had different meanings.
Say what retroactive and proactive interference is (PORN)
Say how this links to Natasha’s situation
Do three PEELS, briefly referring to Natasha
Retrieval failure is when you can't correctly retrieve something due to an absence of cues.
There are 3 main cues, 1 being an absence of context cues. Having an absence of context
cues is when your external environment does not match the external environment you were
in when you were learning said thing. For example, if you were revising in bed you will forget
what you revised in an exam because the environment you were in when studying didn't
match up to the exam hall. Another is an absence of state cues, this is when your internal
state doesn't match the internal state you were in when learning the new information. For
example, if you ate 3 whole meals the day of revising but didn't eat breakfast and sat an
exam with an empty stomach you would be more prone to forgetting what you revised. The
third cue is organisational cues.
Interference as an explanation for forgetting is split up into 2 sections and it's when
information interferes with each other and therefore makes a person confused, leading them
to forgetting. One interference is proactive interference and it's when old information like
your old phone number interferes with new information like your new phone number after
receiving a new phone for christmas. Retroactive interference, the second part of this
explanation is when new memory like a new bank pin interferes with old information like your
old bank pin. You may be trying to be something but keep accidentally forgetting the new pin
and only remembering the old one because of this interference.
In Natasha’s case, when she was rehearsing her lines at home that could lead to retrieval
failure through an absence of context cues because the environment she performed in
wasn't the same as her bedroom. This could lead her to forgetting her lines because a
different environment leads her to failing to retrieve the information she learnt. In addition,
she could have had proactive interference because it's stated that she forgot her lines and
accidentally said her old GCSE drama lines. This is because those old lines (old information)
interfered with the new lines she was learning (new information) which led her to saying the
old lines by accident and therefore forgetting the new ones.
A strength of the retrieval failure due to an absence of cues is that there is prior research
done to support the idea it leads to forgetting. In 2004 Bakker found that people who chewed
gum during learning and during retrieval, retrieved a lot more information than those who
didn't chew gum at all and those who did chew gum when learning but not when retrieving
(and vise versa). Not only does this study support the fact that an absence of cues can lead
a person to forgetting due to a failure to retrieve fully, it's also a fairly recent study which
means it can be generalised to more people. For example, in Natasha’s drama
performance, if she had known about this she would have rehearsed with an audience, on a
stage preferably, to mimic the environment she would be performing in to prevent her from
forgetting her lines and retrieve them more effectively.
, Adding on to this, another strength of retrieval failure is the practical applications it has.
Because this theory is not overly complex to understand or achieve, it is very helpful for
people in our society, especially students, for when they do exams. This theory also
significantly helps people to study and revise well which is very helpful and productive for
society.
The police could use the cognitive interview to help Danielle recall the event of the crime by
asking her to give every detail she remembers of that event whether it was to do with the
crime or not to ensure the police can gain as much information as possible and even help
Danielle to recall while explaining. Another thing the police could do is take her to the scene
of the crime to try to help danielles recall the event because if she witnesses it again it could
spark up memories she didn't recall prior. Furthermore, the police could ask her to recall the
events backwards, this is to make sure Danielle isn't lying and to possibly spark more recall.
Finally, they could ask Danielle to recall the events of the crime from a different perspective
to see if any new information will be recalled, whether significant to the crime or not.
In 1887 Jacobs researched short term memory, specifically the capacity of short term
memory supporting the multi-store with the serial digit spa method where participants are
presented with incredibly long lists of numbers or letters and have to immediately recall them
in the right order.
Another research supporting the multi-store model on short term memory is Baddeley in
1966 where he gave participants words in different groups. He had a list of words which
sounded the same, words which all had the same meaning, words which all sounded
different and words which all had different meanings.
