A new study suggests that walking through a doorway can cause you to forget. Have you ever found yourself in a certain room only to realize you've forgotten why you entered in the first place? A new study conducted by a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame may hint at why that happens.
The study, conducted by University of Notre Dame Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky and recently published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, suggests that walking through a doorway can cause you to forget.
"Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an 'event boundary' in the mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away," Radvansky told the
. "Recalling the decision or activity that was made in a different room is difficult because it has been compartmentalized."
The results of the study are based on three experiments involving memory tasks conducted by college students. In two of the experiments — one in a virtual environment and one in a physical one — the students were tasked with completing tasks while moving through a doorway and while moving similar distances across the same room. In both cases, subjects forgot more when they had to move through a doorway.
The third experiment was set up to test whether or not memory improved when subjects re-entered the original room where a decision was made after passing through several doorways. The experiment showed no memory improvement, which would have suggested a link between memory and the environment in which the memory was created.
If Radvansky's research proves accurate, students cramming for a test before class may want to take note: Study in the classroom, and avoid that last-minute bathroom break.
What do you think: Will you avoid doorways the next time you need to remember something important? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Simon A. Thalmann is the online editor for Booth Features. He can be reached at sthalmann@kalamazoogazette.com.