Effects of inhibitory control capacity and cognitive load on involuntary past and future thoughts: A laboratory study

Barzykowski, Krystian; Hajdas, Sabina; Radel, Rémi; Kvavilashvili, Lia · 2022 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103353

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Summary

This study investigates the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) and involuntary future thoughts (IFTs), specifically examining how inhibitory control capacity and cognitive load influence these spontaneous cognitions. While previous research established that high cognitive load reduces the frequency of IAMs and IFTs, the underlying mechanism remained unclear. The authors tested two competing hypotheses: the "special inhibitory mechanism" hypothesis, which posits that demanding tasks activate inhibition to suppress task-unrelated thoughts, and the "cue-noticing" hypothesis, which suggests that high cognitive load reduces the likelihood of noticing incidental environmental cues that trigger these thoughts. The researchers employed a mixed-subjects design with 98 participants pre-selected into high and low inhibitory control capacity groups based on performance on Stroop and Flanker tasks. Participants completed two laboratory sessions involving a vigilance task under either low or high cognitive load conditions. In the high-load condition, participants performed an additional attentional task alongside the vigilance task. Involuntary thoughts were measured using random thought probes during the vigilance task. To assess cue-noticing, participants completed an unexpected cue-recognition test at the end of the second session, identifying whether specific verbal cues presented during the vigilance task had been noticed. The results indicated that despite significant differences in inhibitory control capacity between groups, the frequency of reported IAMs and IFTs was comparable across high and low inhibition groups under both cognitive load conditions. This finding contradicts the hypothesis that individual inhibitory control capacity directly regulates the occurrence of involuntary thoughts. However, high cognitive load significantly reduced the number of IAMs, though it did not significantly affect the frequency of IFTs. Crucially, the cue-recognition task revealed that participants recognized fewer incidental cues under high cognitive load compared to low cognitive load. This reduction in cue recognition occurred regardless of inhibitory control capacity. These findings suggest that the primary mechanism by which cognitive load reduces involuntary past thoughts is through impaired cue-noticing rather than the active suppression of retrieved thoughts via inhibitory control. The study implies that when attentional resources are consumed by a demanding task, individuals are less likely to notice the environmental triggers necessary to initiate involuntary memories. Consequently, the "special inhibitory mechanism" hypothesis is not supported, while the cue-noticing hypothesis is validated for IAMs. The differential effect on IFTs, which were not significantly reduced by load, suggests that future-oriented involuntary thoughts may rely on different triggering mechanisms or be less dependent on external incidental cues than past-oriented memories.

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• prospective memory interruptions