Hope of success relates to the memory for unsolved compared to solved anagrams

Abstract

It is widely believed that unfinished tasks are better remembered than finished tasks, a phenomenon labelled the “Zeigarnik-Effect.” It has been argued that this advantage relies on the persisting tension inherent in uncompleted intentions. However, this interpretation has been challenged. First, the memory advantage could not be reliably replicated. Second, a memory advantage can still be observed when the unfinished status of an uncompleted intention is inherently terminated, rendering the “persisting tension” explanation unlikely. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential memory advantage of interrupted but finished tasks and its relation to the personality disposition achievement motivation, specifically, hope of success and fear of failure. This goal was motivated by the hypothesis that the experience of a discrepancy between the anticipation of success and the subsequent failure would relate to the memory for an unfinished task, and that this discrepancy experience would be stronger for people high in hope of success. A large sample of adults (>1,000 participants) was presented with 12 anagrams. If they did not solve an anagram within 60 s, they were shown the solution. Afterwards, we measured free recall of the anagram solutions and assessed achievement motivation. Overall, participants recalled more unsolved anagrams than solved anagrams. However, only individuals high in hope of success displayed a greater tendency to remember unsolved anagrams. This study supports the idea that a discrepancy experience rather than persisting tension coincides with memory for unsolved tasks.