Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory.

Modern technical tools such as tablets allow for the temporal externalisation of working memory processes (i.e., cognitive offloading). Although such externalisations support immediate performance on different tasks, little is known about potential long-term consequences of offloading behaviour. In...

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Publicado en:Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Vol. 74; no. 9; pp. 1477 - 1497
Autores principales: Grinschgl, Sandra, Papenmeier, Frank, Meyerhoff, Hauke S
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Sep2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2021
      vid: 74
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
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        151879702
        10.1177/17470218211008060
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        atl: Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory.
      aug:
        au:
          Grinschgl, Sandra
          Papenmeier, Frank
          Meyerhoff, Hauke S
        affil:
          Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
          Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
          Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany
      su:
        Memory
        Goal (Psychology)
        Long-term memory
        Short-term memory
        Memory testing
        Explicit memory
      sug:
        subj:
          Memory
          Goal (Psychology)
          Long-term memory
          Short-term memory
          Memory testing
          Explicit memory
      keyword:
        Cognitive offloading
        external memory
        technology
        working memory
        Cognitive offloading
        external memory
        technology
        working memory
      ab: Modern technical tools such as tablets allow for the temporal externalisation of working memory processes (i.e., cognitive offloading). Although such externalisations support immediate performance on different tasks, little is known about potential long-term consequences of offloading behaviour. In the current set of experiments, we studied the relationship between cognitive offloading and subsequent memory for the offloaded information as well as the interplay of this relationship with the goal to acquire new memory representations. Our participants solved the Pattern Copy Task, in which we manipulated the costs of cognitive offloading and the awareness of a subsequent memory test. In Experiment 1 (N = 172), we showed that increasing the costs for offloading induces reduced offloading behaviour. This reduction in offloading came along with lower immediate task performance but more accurate memory in an unexpected test. In Experiment 2 (N = 172), we confirmed these findings and observed that offloading behaviour remained detrimental for subsequent memory performance when participants were aware of the upcoming memory test. Interestingly, Experiment 3 (N = 172) showed that cognitive offloading is not detrimental for long-term memory formation under all circumstances. Those participants who were forced to offload maximally but were aware of the memory test could almost completely counteract the negative impact of offloading on memory. Our experiments highlight the importance of the explicit goal to acquire new memory representations when relying on technical tools as offloading did have detrimental effects on memory without such a goal.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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