PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF OFFLOADING COGNITIVE LOAD TO AN EXTERNAL SYSTEM AND MEMORY DECLINE

Abstract

This article examines cognitive offloading - the use of external systems to support cognitive tasks - and psychological factors associated with difficulties in remembering information. Drawing on Daniel Wegner’s concept of transactive memory, the findings reported by Sparrow and colleagues, and cognitive load and working-memory research, it considers how digital tools may change what people encode and retrieve. In particular, access to searchable information can shift attention from remembering content toward remembering where it can be found. External aids may reduce immediate demands on working memory; however, their implications for later recall depend on the task, the depth of information processing, and the way the tools are used. Stress, motivation, information overload, fatigue, and frequent task switching are also discussed as factors that may influence memory performance. The article offers a theoretical discussion rather than results from an original experiment.