The effect of verbal praise on prospective memory
Yunfei Guo1, Jiaqun Gan1, Yongxin Li2
1Faculty of Education, Henan University, Jinming Road, Longting District, Kaifeng, China.
Psychological Research
|January 28, 2024
Summary
Verbal praise can enhance prospective memory, especially when attention is less demanding or when cues are less obvious. This effect is moderated by attentional load and cue type, supporting cognitive models of motivation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Verbal praise is a common strategy to boost prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember to perform an intended action in the future.
- The motivation cognitive model suggests that praise influences PM by reallocating attentional resources, implying attention is a key mediator.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how attentional load and cue focality influence the effectiveness of verbal praise on prospective memory.
- To test predictions derived from the motivation cognitive model regarding attention's role in praise-induced PM enhancement.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with college students (N=245).
- Experiment 1 manipulated attentional load via ongoing task difficulty.
- Experiment 2 manipulated cue focality (focal vs. non-focal) under low attention load.
Main Results:
- Verbal praise improved PM performance across both low and high attentional load conditions.
- Under low attention load, praise primarily enhanced the prospective component of PM; under high load, it enhanced the retrospective component.
- Praise significantly improved PM only when non-focal cues were used, not with focal cues.
Conclusions:
- The findings partially support the motivation cognitive model, highlighting the interplay between attention, motivation (via praise), and prospective memory.
- Attentional resources and cue characteristics are critical factors determining the efficacy of verbal praise in improving prospective memory.
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