Value-based routing of delayed intentions into brain-based vs external memory stores

Dupont, Dawa; Zhu, Qianmeng; Gilbert, Sam J.

doi:10.31234/osf.io/wq7rs

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Consistent with this, people are more likely to set reminders for intentions when they are associated with a higher financial reward (Dupont et al, 2021).…”

supporting

confidence: 53%

“…One key factor governing this decision might be the subjective value of intentions. Existing literature has shown that people are more inclined to offload high-value intentions (Dupont et al, 2021). Hence, when an intention is subjectively important to an individual, the costs of forgetting might be too high such that they would resort to external tools even if extra physical effort is demanded.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of the physical effort of reminder-setting on strategic offloading of delayed intentions

Chiu¹,

Gilbert²

2023

Preprint

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Intention offloading involves the use of external reminders such as diaries, to-do lists, and digital alerts to help us remember delayed intentions. Recent studies have provided evidence for various cognitive and metacognitive factors that guide intention offloading, but little research has investigated the physical cost of reminder-setting itself. Here we present two pre-registered experiments investigating how the cost of physical reminder effort influences strategic intention offloading under different levels of memory load. At all memory loads, reminder-setting was reduced when it was more effortful. The ability to set reminders allowed participants to compensate for the influence of memory load on accuracy in the low-effort condition; this effect was attenuated in the high-effort condition. Contrary to prediction, effort had the greatest effect on reminder-setting at intermediate memory loads. We speculate that the physical costs of reminder-setting might have the greatest impact when participants are uncertain about the correct strategy. These results demonstrate the importance of physical reminder effort as one of the factors relevant to cost-benefit decision-making about cognitive offloading strategies.

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“…Consistent with this, people are more likely to set reminders for intentions when they are associated with a higher financial reward (Dupont et al, 2021).…”

supporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the physical effort of reminder-setting on strategic offloading of delayed intentions

Chiu¹,

Gilbert²

2023

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Another factor which may be at least as important in determining the fulfilment of intentions is whether or not they are considered sufficiently important to be offloaded into an external store. Kliegel, & Gilbert (in prep) This was investigated by Dupont, Zhu, and Gilbert (2021), who showed that highvalue intentions (associated with a larger financial reward) were much more likely to be offloaded than low-value intentions. One corollary of this is that individuals can be left with nothing but low-value information in internal memory if the external store fails.…”

Section: Practical Implications and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outsourcing memory to external tools: A review of ‘intention offloading’

Gilbert¹,

Boldt²,

Sachdeva³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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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. Therefore, metacognitive interventions could play an important role in promoting individuals’ adaptive use of cognitive tools.

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Value-based routing of delayed intentions into brain-based vs external memory stores

Cited by 2 publications

References 29 publications

Influence of the physical effort of reminder-setting on strategic offloading of delayed intentions

Influence of the physical effort of reminder-setting on strategic offloading of delayed intentions

Outsourcing memory to external tools: A review of ‘intention offloading’

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