Performance anticipation diminishes memory: Evidence from a simulated classroom.

Abstract

Students frequently engage in public speaking in their classes (e.g., giving oral presentations). Here we hypothesized that students' anticipation of giving a class presentation hinders their ability to learn information that precedes their presentation. We tested this hypothesis in a simulated classroom, in which undergraduate participants (N = 240) prepared short presentations. Participants were either informed (privately) that they would be presenting 2nd, that they would be presenting 5th, or that they would not be presenting. A research confederate gave the first presentation, after which students' memory for that presentation was assessed via a multiple-choice quiz. As predicted, students who expected to present (either 2nd or 5th) had significantly lower quiz scores compared to students who did not expect to present; those presenting 2nd did not significantly differ from those presenting 5th. We propose an account of how performance anticipation reduces memory and discuss educational implications.