Offloading Reduces Prospective Memory Learning.

Across two experiments, we investigated the effects of cognitive offloading on prospective memory (PM). Participants performed two PM tasks, either relying on internal memory for both (Dual PM condition) or using an external reminder for one (Offload condition). Although reminders improved performance on the offloaded PM, such reminders did not improve performance on the concurrent, nonoffloaded PM. When all reminders were removed in a subsequent phase, performance on the previously offloaded PM was significantly impaired, falling below the baseline levels of performance observed for participants who never used reminders. These results suggest that although offloading can improve performance, it can also undermine the cognitive processes needed to support the learning and subsequent success of PM when reminders are no longer available. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).