Related Experiment Videos
Absent-mindedness in shops: its incidence, correlates and consequences.
The British Journal of Clinical Psychology
|May 1, 1984
Summary
Absent-mindedness in shops is common, but lapses leading to shoplifting accusations are rare. However, a combination of factors like poor health and distraction can increase risk, highlighting attentional control issues.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Absent-mindedness during shopping can lead to misunderstandings and accusations.
- Previous research has explored cognitive failures, but specific focus on shopping-related lapses is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency and perceived risk of various absent-minded lapses experienced while shopping.
- To analyze the factors contributing to wrongful shoplifting accusations.
- To examine the relationship between general cognitive failures and shopping-specific absent-mindedness.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire study (Absent-mindedness in Shops Questionnaire - AMSQ) administered to 150 participants assessing 24 types of mental lapses.
- Analysis of 166 letters from individuals wrongly accused of shoplifting.
- Administration of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) to a subset of participants.
Main Results:
- Lapses with shoplifting risk potential were reported and perceived as less frequent than embarrassing or nuisance lapses.
- High-risk lapses can occur when ill health, preoccupation, and distraction intersect with supermarket practices.
- A significant positive correlation was found between the CFQ and AMSQ scores.
- Factor analysis of AMSQ revealed a general factor and a risk appreciation factor.
Conclusions:
- While high-risk absent-minded lapses in shops are infrequent, they can occur under specific circumstances.
- Absent-mindedness in shops and general cognitive failures are related, suggesting underlying attentional control differences.
- Findings underscore the role of attentional management in everyday cognitive lapses.