Working memory capacity and the saving-enhanced memory effect

People often save information by storing it on a computer or smartphone for future use, thus preserving cognitive economy and reducing processing demands [Risko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive offloading. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(9), 676-688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.07.002]. Such cognitive offloading is associated with mnemonic benefits including a phenomenon known as saving-enhanced memory. [Storm, B. C., & Stone, S. M. (2015). Saving-enhanced memory: The benefits of saving on the learning and remembering of new information. Psychological Science, 26(2), 182-188. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614559285] showed that when participants are prompted to study two lists of words, saving the first list (i.e., by saving the associated file onto a computer) can enhance their ability to remember the second list. Saving is believed to serve as a form of cognitive offloading, reducing cognitive load and interference from the first list, and allowing for the re-allocation of cognitive resources towards the encoding of the second list. The present study investigated whether working memory capacity (WMC) is associated with the ability to take advantage of this kind of saving-enhanced memory. Results from three experiments revealed a significant positive correlation, such that participants with high WMC demonstrated a larger saving-enhanced memory effect than participants with low WMC. This finding provides new insight into the importance of control processes in the functioning of memory, suggesting that WMC enhances a person's ability to benefit from the use of saving as a form of cognitive offloading.