The cost of remembering to remember : Cognitive load and implementation intentions influence ongoing task performance

Abstract

Imagine the following scenario: You need to remember to execute an important intention, such as turning off your cell phone before an important meeting. In the past, you may have been embarrassed by the failure to complete such an intention, thereby disturbing an entire room of colleagues, not to mention the invited speaker. Therefore, you are especially determined to successfully complete this goal. However, at the same time, you may need to keep your phone activated until the last possible minute because of an impending vital phone call from a family member. How do you successfully fulfill these conflicting objectives? Cognitively speaking, are there differential attentional requirements (more or less resources) depending on the quality or complexity of the intention? Are there strategies one can employ to ensure a higher likelihood of fulfilling an intention while reducing the resources required to execute it? In this chapter, we describe research that attempts to answer such questions.