Mind the Gap ? – Exploring the effect of boredom and procrastination on everyday memory

Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to perform an intention at a specific time in the future, such as taking medication with a meal or sending important documents on time. Although previous research has shown that PM failures are most common in daily life, the reasons why people actually forget to perform an intention are understudied and/or lead to controversial results. With the present study, we focus on the role of procrastination (i.e., the voluntary delay of an action) and boredom to shed light on the dynamics of forgetting to perform actions in daily life.  

A micro-longitudinal study over 30 days was conducted with 114 participants. Participants completed an ecological momentary assessment on their smartphones twice daily, including a memory journal. Results will be discussed using various methodological approaches to examine temporal dynamics between these factors and thus appropriately represent the complexity of cognition in daily life. We will also integrate other daily factors such as stress, task difficulty, and planning abilities to further complement the understanding of forgetting everyday intentions.

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Maximilian Haas is a postdoctoral researcher in the Methodology and Statistics research group at UniDistance Suisse. He is interested in the study of cognitive processes in everyday life using innovative research methods.

Find out more about the Methodology and Statistics research group.