The psychological tension, and our recall of relevant information, will therefore only fade once the task is completed. This means that when we return to it, the information is still present. If we’re interrupted partway through the task by a phone call or meeting, the tension of the task remains prominent in our minds. Zeigarnik explained that each task we start produces a form of psychological tension. This phenomenon became known as the Zeigarnik effect.Īccording to Zeigarnik’s research, an unfinished task will remain prominent in our minds because we know that we have left it incomplete. She concluded that it’s possible for the human memory to distinguish between tasks that have been completed and those that are still left to complete, and that we tend to remember unfinished tasks better. After this, he would have little or no memory of the customers, which table they had been sat at, or what they had ordered.įollowing this encounter, Zeigarnik carried out a series of experiments on the relationship between tasks and memory. However, it later emerged that he only retained the information until each table left. Zeigarnik and her supervisor, professor Kurt Lewin, observed that their restaurant waiter had an exceptional memory for what everyone at the table had ordered, despite never writing anything down. In 1927, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik reported that individuals tend to have a better memory for tasks that are interrupted or incomplete, than they do for tasks that have been completed. These contradictory experiences are due to two effects: the Zeigarnik effect and the Ovsiankina effect. On the other hand, the annoyance of having all of these unfinished tasks on your to-do list may motivate you to tackle them at the next opportunity. Unfinished tasks can feel overwhelming, leading to procrastination and slowing your progress.
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