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Context dependent forgetting

Much research has found that if an individual’s environment during a retrieval phase is different from their environment during the encoding phase then memory performance will be poorer as compared to if the two environments were the same. This effect is known context dependent forgetting (CDF) Many techniques have been researched and created as ways to overcome CDF in regards to environmental cues.

Context recall technique

One such strategy is the context recall technique. This technique involves consciously generating old environmental cues from memory rather than physically reinstating those environamental cues . For example, if an individual learned material in a classroom in which the desks were organized in rows, that person could visualize that specific arragngement in case they are tested in a new environment in which the desks are arranged in a circle. In a study conducted by Steven Smith in 1979, participants who used this technique while being tested in a new room were able to recall as many list words as participants who were tested in their original learning room . Participants who were tested in a new room that did not use this technique showed typical CDF, recalling only two-thirds the number of the words recalled by the other groups Therefore, the effect of CDM can be overcome if a person is able to remember their learning environment rather than having to completely reinstate it . However, this technique is only useful and successful when the learning context is easy to remember .

Multiple learning context technique

The multiple-learning-context-technique is another strategy proposed by Smith to combat CDF. This technique involves presenting subsets of the learning material in multiple contexts rather than presenting them all in the same environment . When given a free recall test in a new room, participants who studied in multiple rooms recalled more words than participants who only studied in one room . Smith believes that by having multiple environmental cues, performance will still be sustained because even if some cues are forgotten, there will be some that are remembered.

Along with with the multiple learning context technique, other research has demonstrated that increasing the number of environmental cues will increase an individual's recall performance . The cue-overload theory proposed by Michael and Olga Watkins in 1975 explains that the effectiveness of a environmental cue will decline as the number of items it considers increases . Therefore, when given a fixed number of items to recall, performance will increase if the number of cues also increases . This theory focuses on one of the two factors that must be considered when determining the effectiveness of multiple learning environments; the variety of contextual cues. However, research conducted by Gregory Jones in 1976 demonstrates that in order for this technique to be useful, the cues must use different senses . For example, there is no recall advantage when only the number of visual cues are increased. On the other hand, there is a recall advantage when different sensory cues such as sight, sound, and smell were added together . Therefore, an individual should use more than one sense and attend to more than one cue when they are in their original learning environment. This will give them the advantage of possibly being able to use one of these cues during testing if the environment changes and not all cues are present at that time.

Attention

The second factor to be considered when determining the effectiveness of multiple learning environments is the likelihood that an individual will even use environmental cues when recalling. Instructing subjects to use self-generated cues as in the context recall technique will increase recall for participants tested in a different environment. However, individuals do not automatically do this when learning occurs in one room . Therefore, by moving individuals from room to room, they may pay more attention to the environmental cues. Smith therefore believs that multiple learning rooms and consciously generating environmental cues are similar in that they both force individuals to pay attention to and remember environmental information.

In 2003, Simon Chu and colleagues demonstrated that conscious effort and attention is important to overcome CDF. Their research has shown that active processing of the context during the encoding phase is an important factor of successful performance . When actively attending to environmental cues with the goal of using a technique such as the context recall technique, stronger associations are created between the material and the environment . However, if an individual does not actively attend to environmental cues during the encoding phase, such cues may not be easily visualized in the recall phase if a new context is present.

Ambient and transferable cues

As defined by online dictionary, ambient is completely surrounding and encompassing. Researchers beleive that ambient cues, such as odour and sound, aid in recall when the learning context and recall context are different . In addition, these cues are useful in recall because they can also be transferable. For example, if music is played in room in which material was learned, it is sometimes possible to transfer that musical source to a different room in which material will be tested. The phenomenon that occurs when a memory or emotion is resurfaced when a person hears a song that is associated to a specific event demonstrates the effectiveness of sound (and odour) as useful cues in the absence of the original context. Using transferrable cues may be useful for individuals who have difficulty using the context recall technique because they have trouble creating a mental image of the original environment. This technique has been proven useful for patients at home who are trying to reproduce skills that they learned in a hospital environment .