People who lost their reminders remembered less than people who never had them
While reminders were present, people almost never forgot, but they appeared to learn less about remembering on their own.
PsyPost - Psychology News · Relying on reminders could be weakening your memory skillsTake away a reminder and people remember fewer future tasks than if they had never had a reminder at all.
In two online experiments, participants juggled a word task while trying to remember to do other small tasks later. When a reminder was on screen, they almost never forgot the task it flagged.
The cost showed up later. Once all reminders were removed, people who had relied on them recalled fewer upcoming tasks than people who had relied only on memory all along. They fell below that self reliant baseline, suggesting they had learned less, not just lost the benefit of reminders.
In a second test of 280 people, making reminders even more explicit actually worsened memory for the task people still had to track themselves.
Questions people ask
Should I stop using phone reminders and calendars?
No. In the study, reminders greatly improved performance while they were available, with people almost never forgetting the flagged task. The trade-off is that they may leave less learning behind for remembering on your own later.
Why would a helpful reminder leave memory weaker?
The authors suggest the extra effort of unaided remembering helps strengthen memory, and reminders remove that effort. When a reminder does the work, the brain gets less practice, so there is less learning to carry forward.
Who was tested, and does it apply to everyone?
The participants were university students doing short online tasks. That means the results may not apply the same way to older adults or to long term use of reminders over months and years.