Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Interrupting intentions: Zeigarnik-like effects in prospective memory

T Mäntylä1, T Sgaramella

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Umeå, Sweden. Timo.Mantyla@psy.umu.se

Psychological Research
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Task interruption enhances memory for intentions. Interrupted tasks serve as better reminders than completed ones, improving prospective memory performance.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Anti-neuronal anti-bodies in patients with early psychosis.

Schizophrenia research·2017
Same author

Precuneus functioning differentiates first-episode psychosis patients during the fantasy movie Alice in Wonderland.

Psychological medicine·2016
Same author

Cortical salience network activation precedes the development of delusion severity.

Psychological medicine·2016
Same author

Effect of photocatalytic and hydrophobic coatings on brewery surface microorganisms.

Journal of food protection·2011
Same author

Bone attachment to glass-fibre-reinforced composite implant with porous surface.

Acta biomaterialia·2009
Same author

Development of a multi-component fiber-reinforced composite implant for load-sharing conditions.

Medical engineering & physics·2008

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Memory for intentions, or prospective memory, is crucial for daily functioning.
  • Understanding factors influencing prospective memory is vital for cognitive science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of task interruption on prospective memory.
  • To explore whether interrupted intentions are better recalled than completed ones.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments involved participants studying anagrams, with some tasks interrupted and others completed.
  • Prospective cue items with underlined letters were used to prompt future memory tasks.
  • Participants recalled cue items associated with interrupted versus completed anagram tasks.

Main Results:

  • Both experiments demonstrated Zeigarnik-like effects in prospective memory.
  • Cue items linked to interrupted tasks were more effective reminders than those from completed tasks.
  • Interruption significantly improved subsequent prospective memory performance.

Conclusions:

  • Interruption of ongoing activities enhances prospective memory.
  • This effect may stem from increased activation of intention representations, improving target event sensitivity.

Related Experiment Videos