The Zeigarnik effect is the psychological tendency for people to remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. It is named for the Lithuanian-Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, who conducted pioneering research into the phenomenon after observing that waiters could recall unpaid orders in far more detail than orders that had already been settled, and it is understood as an extension of Gestalt psychology principles from perception into cognitive processes more broadly.
Facts
Core ClaimPeople remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Zeigarnik effect
Wikimedia FoundationOverview section, sentence on the 1927 publication in Psychologische Forschung
The research report was published in 1927, in the journal Psychologische Forschung.
Lead section, sentence defining unfinished task recall
people remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.