Spontaneous memory strategies in a videogame simulating everyday memory tasks

Abstract

People can use different internal strategies to manage their daily tasks, but systematic research on these strategies and their significance for actual performance is still quite sparse. Here we examined self-reported internal strategy use with a 10-block version of the videogame EPELI in a group of 202 neurotypical adults of 18 to 50 years of age. In the game, participants perform lists of everyday tasks from memory while navigating in a virtual apartment. Open-ended strategy reports were collected after each EPELI task block, and for comparison also after an EPELI Instruction Recall task and a Word List Learning task assessing episodic memory. On average 45% of the participants reported using some strategy in EPELI, the most common types being grouping (e.g., performing the tasks room by room), utilizing a familiar action schema, and condensing information (e.g., memorizing only keywords). Our pre-registered hypothesis on the beneficial effect of self-initiated strategy use gained support, as strategy users showed better performance on EPELI as compared to no strategy users. One of the strategies, grouping, was identified as a clearly effective strategy type. Block-by-block transitions suggested gradual stabilization of strategy use over the 10 EPELI blocks. The proneness to use strategies showed a weak but reliable association between EPELI and Word List Learning. Overall, the present results highlight the importance of internal strategy use for understanding individual differences in memory performance, as well as the potential benefit for internal strategy employment when faced with everyday memory tasks.

Strategy use and its evolvement in word list learning: a replication study

“…Open Sci. 11: 230651 shifts especially in the task-initial phases seems to be a more general phenomenon, as we have found it also in a prospective/episodic memory task with constantly changing task items [36], and in a continuous working memory updating task [12]. Theoretically, initial strategy shifts followed by a gradual strategy stabilization in all these different memory tasks fits well to the cognitive skill learning view [19].…”

“…A possible counterargument to the present interpretation is that task-initial strategy changes could be a result of the task structure where the same items are presented repeatedly. However, the clustering of strategy shifts especially in the task-initial phases seems to be a more general phenomenon, as we have found it also in a prospective/episodic memory task with constantly changing task items [ 36 ], and in a continuous working memory updating task [ 12 ]. Theoretically, initial strategy shifts followed by a gradual strategy stabilization in all these different memory tasks fits well to the cognitive skill learning view [ 19 ].…”

“…According to this view, demanding non-routine tasks activate the metacognitive and executive control systems needed for strategy generation and implementation/monitoring, after which task routine starts to gradually develop [ 19 ]. Being a general framework, the cognitive skill learning view does not take a stance on the time span of these hypothetical stages in specific tasks, but the results from three different memory paradigms, Word List Learning task [ 11 ], a complex virtual reality prospective/episodic memory task [ 36 ], and a continuous n-back working memory updating task [ 12 ], suggest that the most intensive strategy generation and adaptation stage is rather short-lived, being most prominent in the first task blocks. These memory tasks are, after all, quite straightforward (albeit cognitively demanding), and it may very well be that strategy generation and adaptation would take longer for example in complex problem-solving tasks.…”