Investing in Brain-Based Memory Leads to Decreased Use of Technology-Based Memory.

Humans frequently use external (environment-based) strategies to supplement their internal (brain-based) thought. In the memory domain, whether to solve a problem using external or internal retrieval depends on the accessibility of external information, judgment of mnemonic ability, and on the probl...

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Publicado en:Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 465 - 480
Autores principales: Weis, Patrick P., Wiese, Eva
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: American Psychological Association Sep2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2020
      vid: 26
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      pub: American Psychological Association
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        145512443
        10.1037/xap0000259
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        atl: Investing in Brain-Based Memory Leads to Decreased Use of Technology-Based Memory.
      aug:
        au:
          Weis, Patrick P.
          Wiese, Eva
        affil: Department of Psychology, George Mason University
      su:
        Memory
        Adaptability (Personality)
        Problem solving
        Cognition
        Mice (Computers)
        Mnemonics
        Visual memory
      sug:
        subj:
          Memory
          Adaptability (Personality)
          Problem solving
          Cognition
          Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing
          Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing
          Mice (Computers)
          Mnemonics
          Visual memory
      keyword:
        cognitive offloading
        distributed cognition
        information access cost
        problem solving
        strategy selection
        cognitive offloading
        distributed cognition
        information access cost
        problem solving
        strategy selection
      ab: Humans frequently use external (environment-based) strategies to supplement their internal (brain-based) thought. In the memory domain, whether to solve a problem using external or internal retrieval depends on the accessibility of external information, judgment of mnemonic ability, and on the problem's visual features. It likely also depends on the accessibility of internal information. Here, we asked whether internal accessibility contributes to strategy choice even when visual features bear no information on internal accessibility. Specifically, 114 participants were to validate alphanumerical equations (e.g., A + 2 = C) whose visual appearance (Addends 2, 3, or 4) signified different difficulty levels. First, some equations were presented more frequently than others, allowing participants to establish efficient internal access to the correct solution via memory retrieval rather than counting up the alphabet. Second, participants viewed the equations again but could access the correct solution externally using a computer mouse. We hypothesized that external strategy use should selectively decrease for frequently learned equations and irrespectively of the task's visual features. Results mostly confirm our hypothesis. Exploratory analyses further suggest that participants partially used a sequential "try-internal-retrieval-first" mechanism to establish the adaptive behavior. Implications for intervention methods aimed at improving interactive cognition are discussed. Public Significance Statement: In the present study, human problem solvers were less inclined to retrieve information stored externally on a computer when they had the chance to save that information in internal brain-based memory. The results suggest that (a) humans have the skills to proficiently incorporate external information storages into their thought processes and (b) that improving brain-based memory automatically decreases reliance on external information storages like computers or smartphones.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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