Using original examples from your experience, differentiate between the two types of retrieval cues.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The answer should include the following definitions and examples:

Retrieval cues are stimuli that allow one to more easily recall long-term memories. Retrieval cues guide people through the information stored in long-term memory. They are particularly important when we are trying to recall information, as opposed to being asked to recognize material stored in memory.

In recall, a specific piece of information must be recalled from long-term memory. However, recalling this information does not rely necessarily on cues. Recall is more difficult because it consists of a series of processes that require us to search through memory, retrieve potentially relevant information, and then decide whether the information we have found is accurate. An example of recall would be an individual trying to answer a question such as "Who wrote Mansfield Park?"; in this case, the individual must retrieve the information from his or her memory.

In recognition, one is exposed to a piece of information and is asked whether one has been exposed to it before. In contrast to recall, recognition is simpler because it involves fewer steps. An example of recognition would be an individual trying to answer a question such as "Did Jane Austen write Mansfield Park?"; in this case, the individual must recognize if the information provided is correct.

The following example helps us understand the difference between recall and recognition. When attending a high-school reunion, 15 years after one graduated, one is unlikely to be able to recall all of one's classmates, but one may be able to recognize them with the help of the photos in the yearbook.