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Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 3, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
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Memory failure predicted by attention lapsing and media multitasking.

Kevin P Madore1, Anna M Khazenzon2, Cameron W Backes3

  • 1Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. madore@stanford.edu.

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Attention lapses, moments of lost focus, negatively impact memory recall. These lapses, influenced by media multitasking, explain individual differences in remembering and forgetting.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Human Memory

Background:

  • The 'attention economy' and digital media raise questions about human memory.
  • Understanding why we remember or forget, and individual differences in memory, remains a key scientific challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between spontaneous attention lapses and memory performance.
  • To examine how attention lapses, both momentary and trait-level, relate to media multitasking and memory recall.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and pupillometry during memory encoding and retrieval tasks in 80 young adults.
  • Assessed trait-level sustained attention using task-based and questionnaire measures.
  • Analyzed trial-to-trial retrieval data in relation to neural attention measures.

Main Results:

  • Tonic attention lapses, indicated by EEG posterior alpha power and pupil diameter, correlated with reduced neural memory signals and behavioral forgetting.
  • Trait-level attention lapses mediated the link between neural attention measures and memory performance.
  • Media multitasking was associated with increased attention lapses and poorer memory recall.

Conclusions:

  • Attention lapses are a significant factor in momentary forgetting and individual memory differences.
  • Media multitasking habits contribute to attention lapses, impacting overall memory function.
  • Understanding attention lapses offers insights into the mechanisms of human memory.