Interference Retrieval cues
An inability to retrieve the information you require from your memory does not mean it has disappeared completely. This is illustrated by the following example:
A person visits a library and searches unsuccessfully for a specific book. They are unable to find it despite the fact that it is definitely there. The problem is that the book is hidden in plain sight between two other books on an entirely different topic. Perhaps another library user put it back in the wrong section by mistake? The would-be reader’s search is made particularly difficult by the fact that the book’s title and classification do not clearly distinguish it from the neighbouring volumes. [1]
Just as the person in the above example is hampered by the fact that the book is located in the wrong section of the library and flanked by two unrelated works, failure to retrieve a piece of information from your memory may be attributable to a lack of suitable retrieval cues. As a general rule, information is easiest to retrieve when you are exposed to the same stimuli as those that characterised the moment when you learned it. To give an example, school pupils achieve better results when they take tests and exams in the room where they had their lessons on the respective subject.
In the majority of cases candidates are unable to influence where they sit their exams.
They can nevertheless enhance their exam success by visualising the place or context in which their learning and/or revision occurred.
Some mnemonicsmake use of this phenomenon.
In the majority of cases candidates are unable to influence where they sit their exams.
They can nevertheless enhance their exam success by visualising the place or context in which their learning and/or revision occurred.
Some mnemonicsmake use of this phenomenon.
- The context in which we learn influences the retrieval of information from our memory.
- Contextual stimuli can serve as cues that assist the retrieval process.
- Some people may find that difficulties encountered when retrieving information from their memory can be counteracted by visualising the place where the information was memorised.
[1] Mietzel, G. 2007, p. 245