This investigation looks at retrieval failure in the long-term memory,
particularly context-dependant forgetting. The theory behind retrieval
failure is that available information stored in the long-term memory
cannot be accessed because the retrieval cues are defective.
Cue-dependant forgetting theory focuses on the assumption that the
context in which we learn something is significant when we come to
recall the information. Recall is better if it takes place in the same
context as the learning.
Research conducted on retrieval failure includes Tulving and
Pearlstone (1966) who studied intrinsic cues by asking subjects to
learn a list of words from different categories. Participants were
told that they did not need to remember category headings. When tested
after, participants given category headings were able to recall more
words than those who were not. The participants recalled 20% more in
cued recall than free recall. Assuming this, the free recall group
could have recalled as many as the cued recall group if to were given
the cues, therefore the information was there to be accessed but
unavailable due to absence of cues. In other words, their poor recall
was due to retrieval failure. In this investigation the cues for
recall will be odours instead of categories.
Tulving and Thompson (1973) proposed the concept of the
encoding-specificity principle, which assumes a relationship between
encoding and retrieval. This is the idea that recall is greater if the
retrieval context matches or is similar to the encoding context.
Baddeley however pointed out that this theory is impossible to test
and therefore it cannot be disproved. There is no way to determine
whether or not information has been encoded and the
encoding-specificity principle suggests that if a certain stimulus
does not lead to retrieval of a memory it must not have been encoded.
Although Baddeley acknowledges this he also states that there is no
doubt about the importance of cues in retrieving information from our
memory. (Baddeley 1997).
Internal cues have also been associated with retrieval failure;
research has been done into what is called state dependent forgetting.
In the article, “The Critical Importance of Retrieval For Learning” the researchers were studying human learning and memory by presenting people with information to be learned in a study period and testing them on the information that they were told to learn in order to see what they were able to retain. They also pointed out that retrieval of information in a test, is considered a neutral event because it does not produce learning. Researchers were trying to find a correlation between the speed of something being learned and the rate at which it is forgotten
...Baddeley (1966) study of encoding in the short term memory and long term memory supports the MSM model on the mode of processing such that words are processed on recall and both models share the same opinion that processing does influence recall. Finally, the MSM model of memory states that all information is stored in the long term memory, however, this interpretation contrasts with that of Baddeley (1974) who argue that we store different types of memories and it is unlikely that they occur only in the LTM store. Additionally, other theories have recognised different types of memories that we experience, therefore it is debatable that all these different memories occur only in the long-term memory as presumed by the multi-store model which states the long term memory store as with unlimited capacity, in addition it also fails to explain how we recall information.
In the experimental group the middle four average scores were not significantly different (M = 0.70, SD = 0.04) from the last four average scores (M = 0.50, SD = 0.00), t(4) = 2.06, p < ns . In the control group, the middle four average scores were also not significantly different (M = 0.68, SD = 0.02) from the last four average scores (M = 0.56 , SD = 0.00), t(4) = 1.89, p < ns.The serial position curve of recall of the warned group and the control group showed a similar pattern as to the one found in previous studies on the same topic. Both groups were able to recall about 90% of the words in the beginning of the list and the end of the list (See Figure 1). The warned group had slightly more false memories, but the difference was not at all significant (see Figure 2). The control group recalled more critical and studied words than the warned group (see Table
Human memory is flexible and prone to suggestion. “Human memory, while remarkable in many ways, does not operate like a video camera” (Walker, 2013). In fact, human memory is quite the opposite of a video camera; it can be greatly influenced and even often distorted by interactions with its surroundings (Walker, 2013). Memory is separated into three different phases. The first phase is acquisition, which is when information is first entered into memory or the perception of an event (Samaha, 2011). The next phase is retention. Retention is the process of storing information during the period of time between the event and the recollection of a piece of information from that event (Samaha, 2011). The last stage is retrieval. Retrieval is recalling stored information about an event with the purpose of making an identification of a person in that event (Samaha, 2011).
Memory can be defined as the mental system for receiving, encoding, storing, organising, altering and retrieving information (Coon & Mitterer, 2012). Many a time one is able to remember something, example how to drive a car, yet they are unable to remember a mathematical formula for an examination. People vary in their ability to remember certain things, and research conducted has proven that even infants differ in their memory abilities (Fagan & Singer, 1963). It was discovered by psychologists that memory is not static, but rather it is influenced by ones internal factors and situational happenings to a large effect (Huffman, Vernoy & Vernoy, 1997). This essay will attempt to discover which method of study is most suitable, by listing and explaining various memory strategies, as well as indicating how each method will improve memory efficiency. The process of memory is made up of three operations. The first being Encoding, this is the conversion of information into a form which enables it to be retained in memory (Coon & Mitterer, 2012). The second operation is called Storage, this is the keeping of information until it is later needed. The third and final operation is known as Retrieval, and this is the recovering of information from Storage (Hoeksema, Fredrickson, Loftus & Wagenaar, 2009). These formerly mentioned operations each represent a stage in the process of memory (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012).
Mulligan, N. W., & Picklesimer, M. (2012). Levels of processing and the cue-dependent nature of recollection. Journal of Memory and Language, 66(1), 79-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2011.10.001
Empirical studies on context-dependent memory date back to Carr Harvey (as cited in Smith & Vela, 2001). Memory is context-dependent, when contextual cues affect remembering (Morris & Gruneberg, 1994). Context-dependent memory implies that contextual information is stored along with the target information. Findings from the research (Godden & Baddeley, 1975; Smith, Glenberg, & Bjork, 1978) indicate that context change alters memorization and recall processes. According to Tulving (1973) the usage of contextual cues can improve the retrieval processes. This notion has been used and its relevance has been further proved by a variety of research.
Memory is a group of related mental processes that are involved in acquiring, storing, and retrieving information (Hockenberry and Hocenberry page 232). I will be addressing two specific types of memory: short-term memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory holds temporary information transferred from sensory memory or long-term memory. Sensory memory is the first stage of memory and obtains information for a brief amount of time. Short-term memory is also called active memory and is stored in the prefrontal cortex which is the most active part of the brain during an activity. Short-term memory can hold information for roughly twenty seconds, but sensory memory holds information for a shorter amount of time. We usually store things such
ability to recall (Kassam et al., 2009) thus resulting in a deeper encoding of the
The horrible feeling of forgetting a coworker’s or an acquaintance’s name may be one of the most frustrating things a person can experience. This is a fact that many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s face on a reoccurring basis. Loss of memory is a common part of the aging process and is sometimes referred to as dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is not reversible in this day and age. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s and in 2015 more than 5.1 million cases age 65 or older were reported (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The most startling statistic is that by 2050, 14 million Americans and 81 million worldwide cases are expected (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011). While dementia is a part of Alzheimer’s it also affects an afflicted patient ability to perform day to day tasks, increased mood swings, and in the later stages, the ability to even walk or care for themselves. This horrible disease
The brain is a flexible organ, a collection of synapses that constantly reshape the circuitry of our brains. And from that, we know that neuron activity corresponds to memory, the more firing between a given set of neurons, the stronger the connection. That is why some memories are stronger than others. Memories are anything but concrete and can be easily altered. Loss of memory, and creation of new memory, is a processing that never rest, and having a properly functioning memory is important in day-to-day life. The most commonly known forms are, short-term memory (or STM) and long term-memory (or LTM). Forgetting is done more easily by STM than LTM, due to reasons like, it has a limited capacity, and the information needs to be rehearsed to stick. LTM does not have limited capacity and can retain information in many different forms.
One of the most interesting phenomenon related to memory is memory distortions. One way in which they occur is through suggestibility, where people begin to remember false experiences if researchers suggested to them that they experienced it (Sternberg and Sternberg, 2012). In real-life situations, this is caused in part by memory being constructive “in that prior experiences affects how we recall things and what we actually recall from memory” (Sternberg and Sternberg, 2012). People’s prior experiences, including their bias and expectations, may influence how they experience false memory formations; the formation of false memories is also affected by several possible factors, one of which may be sleep deprivation (Frenda, Patihis, Loftus,
Farrants, J. (1998, September). The 'false' memory debate. Counseling Psychology Quarterly. Retrieved September 14, 2000 from ProQuest database (Bell & Howell Information and Learning-ProQuest) on the World Wide Web: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb
Roediger, H. L. III, & McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating false memories: Remembering words not presented in lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 21, 803-814
According to Sternberg (1999), memory is the extraction of past experiences for information to be used in the present. The retrieval of memory is essential in every aspect of daily life, whether it is for academics, work or social purposes. However, many often take memory for granted and assume that it can be relied on because of how realistic it appears in the mind. This form of memory is also known as flashbulb memory. (Brown and Kulik, 1977). The question of whether our memory is reliably accurate has been shown to have implications in providing precise details of past events. (The British Psychological Association, 2011). In this essay, I would put forth arguments that human memory, in fact, is not completely reliable in providing accurate depictions of our past experiences. Evidence can be seen in the following two studies that support these arguments by examining episodic memory in humans. The first study is by Loftus and Pickrell (1995) who found that memory can be modified by suggestions. The second study is by Naveh-Benjamin and Craik (1995) who found that there is a predisposition for memory to decline with increasing age.