Divided attention: An undesirable difficulty in memory retention

Gaspelin, Nicholas; Ruthruff, Eric; Pashler, Harold · 2013 · Memory & Cognition

DOI: 10.3758/s13421-013-0326-5

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Summary

This study investigates whether divided attention during retrieval practice constitutes a "desirable difficulty" that enhances long-term memory retention. The "desirable difficulties" hypothesis posits that introducing challenges during learning, such as spacing or testing, can improve later recall despite impairing immediate performance. While previous research established that divided attention impairs initial encoding and immediate retrieval, it remained unclear whether dividing attention during the retrieval of already-established memory traces might yield long-term benefits similar to other desirable difficulties. The authors sought to determine if the cognitive strain of dual-tasking during retrieval practice would strengthen memory storage, thereby improving retention after a delay. To test this, the researchers conducted two experiments involving university students who learned Swahili–English word pairs. In both experiments, participants first established memory traces through study and full-attention retrieval practice. They then underwent a second retrieval practice phase under either full attention or divided attention, where they performed a concurrent tone-counting task. Experiment 1 allowed participants to respond to the word cue after the tone sequence ended, while Experiment 2 forced simultaneous dual-tasking by requiring word responses during the tone sequence. Two days later, participants completed a final cued-recall test to assess long-term retention. The design controlled for spacing effects by yoking the timing of full-attention trials to divided-attention trials. The results showed that divided attention successfully impaired immediate performance, as evidenced by significantly slower response latencies and, in Experiment 2, slightly lower accuracy during the practice phase. However, this immediate difficulty did not translate into improved long-term retention. In both experiments, there was no significant difference in cued-recall accuracy between items practiced under divided attention and those practiced under full attention two days later. Analyses restricted to items successfully retrieved during practice also revealed no benefit for the divided-attention condition. Furthermore, response times on the final test did not differ between conditions, indicating that divided attention did not facilitate faster or more robust retrieval. The study concludes that divided attention is not a desirable difficulty for memory retention. Unlike spacing or testing, which enhance long-term memory despite immediate costs, dividing attention during retrieval practice provides no long-term benefit and may even impair learning. The findings suggest that the mechanisms underlying desirable difficulties are specific to certain types of interference and do not generalize to all forms of cognitive load. This distinction is significant for educational and training contexts, implying that multitasking during study sessions is unlikely to improve long-term memory and should be avoided.

Key finding

Dividing attention during retrieval practice does not enhance long-term memory retention, despite slowing immediate retrieval performance.

Methodology

lab_experiment

Sample size: 122

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• prospective memory interruptions