Retrieval failure (sometimes called CUE-DEPENDENT FORGETTING) is a problem of accessibility in the LTM. Information has been stored in the LTM but there aren't sufficient cues availible to ACCESS/TRIGGER the memory at the present time. This is often reffered to as 'tip of the tongue' forgetting.
Cue- In the context of memory a cue is 'any stimulus that can trigger or recall information'.
There are two types of cue-dependent forgetting
This refers to the place/situation/room.
Memory is enhanced i these context cues are present when we are trying to recall, but recall is made more difficult if they are absent.
This is consistent with Tulving 'encoding specificity principle'= that if recall is improved if the retrieval context is similar to the encoding context.
State dependent forgetting
Cues need not always be environmental…