Gilbert, Sam J;
Boldt, Annika;
Sachdeva, Chhavi;
Scarampi, Chiara;
Tsai, Pei-Chun;
(2022)
Outsourcing Memory to External Tools: A Review of 'Intention Offloading'.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
10.3758/s13423-022-02139-4.
(In press).
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Abstract
How do we remember delayed intentions? Three decades of research into prospective memory have provided insight into the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in this form of memory. However, we depend on more than just our brains to remember intentions. We also use external props and tools such as calendars and diaries, strategically placed objects, and technologies such as smartphone alerts. This is known as 'intention offloading'. Despite the progress in our understanding of brain-based prospective memory, we know much less about the role of intention offloading in individuals' ability to fulfil delayed intentions. Here, we review recent research into intention offloading, with a particular focus on how individuals decide between storing intentions in internal memory versus external reminders. We also review studies investigating how intention offloading changes across the lifespan and how it relates to underlying brain mechanisms. We conclude that intention offloading is highly effective, experimentally tractable, and guided by metacognitive processes. Individuals have systematic biases in their offloading strategies that are stable over time. Evidence also suggests that individual differences and developmental changes in offloading strategies are driven at least in part by metacognitive processes. Therefore, metacognitive interventions could play an important role in promoting individuals' adaptive use of cognitive tools.
Type: | Article |
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Title: | Outsourcing Memory to External Tools: A Review of 'Intention Offloading' |
Location: | United States |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.3758/s13423-022-02139-4 |
Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-022-02139-4 |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | © 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Cognitive offloading, Memory, Metacognition, Metamemory, Prospective memory |
UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10151884 |
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