The Doorway Effect – Why We Forget Why We’ve Walked Into a Room - Written by Marilyn Abrahamson

The Doorway Effect – Why We Forget Why We’ve Walked Into a Room

By Marilyn Abrahamson, MA,CCC-SLP

Have You Ever Walked Into a Room and Forgotten Why?

Research done at the University of Notre Dame, published in 2011 in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology showed that memory is often affected when we pass through a doorway. This is known as the Doorway Effect.

The author of this original research, Dr. Gabriel Radvansky suggests that our brain manages the continuous flow of information by breaking up experiences into small, more meaningful blocks of information called mental event models.

When we move from one situation to another – or even from one room to another – our brain updates to a new network of information, or a new mental event model that does not include information from the previous one.

So, as we switch gears, we may forget things from the previous event. This can occur whether we leave or enter a room, switch computer tabs, or work to refocus after an interruption.

The good news is that this shows that our brain is working as it should, adapting to the continuous flow of information and compartmentalizing properly. Dr. Radvansky suggests that in most cases, the process is helpful because this shifting of our mind from one event to the other, and forgetting what happened before is our brain’s way of clearing the slate – making way for new information. However annoying, it facilitates focus and accuracy by preventing us from perseverating on thoughts that are not relevant to the current moment.

How You Can Compensate for the Doorway Effect 

The study suggests there are ways to create a connection between one mental event model and the next to help you recall your original objective.

●      Carry a reminder into the next room: For example, if you want to hang a picture and you need to get a hammer, take a picture hook with you when you go to the toolbox. The picture hook in your hand will remind you of what you need when you get there.

●      Go back and start again: Returning to the room where the original thought was established will return you to the previous mental event model. If it doesn’t come to you immediately, look around the room, or return to the spot where the thought was initiated. Something in that spot may jog your memory and help you retrieve the information. Even simply thinking about where you were when you first thought about it can be effective as well.

A Few More Helpful Tips

When it comes to attention and memory, two golden rules will always serve you well.

●      Single tasking (by avoiding multitasking): Focus on a single task. This makes you more likely to stay focused and see it through to the end, without forgetting anything important, even if you're interrupted in the process.

●      Performing tasks mindfully: If you’re watching a movie and you want a snack, but you forget why you’ve walked into the kitchen, you may need a strategy to help you be more mindful.

Next time, as you walk into the kitchen, say aloud, “I’m going into the kitchen for a snack.” (Do this even if you’re alone – no one will hear you anyway.) The act of saying that phrase aloud as you’re walking to the kitchen will connect the memory of your objective from one mental event model (from the TV room) to the next one (to the kitchen).

The ability to create separate networks and compartmentalize is just one aspect of normal function that makes our brain so spectacular. The ability to rapidly determine what information is relevant and what is not is the key to peak performance as the brain simply cannot process and remember everything.

Visit our website at www.longliveyourbrain.com to learn more, and to schedule your free consultation. 

MARILYN ABRAHAMSON, MA, CCC-SLP is a brain health education specialist and coach, and co-creator of the ©Long Live Your Brain program, an online group brain health coaching program for people striving for more reliable memory, attention, and clearer thinking. She is the creator of BrainTrain, online and in-person brain training group classes. In addition, she is the co-author of an e-workbook entitled Life Happens... Chemo Fog: Regain Clarity and Build Cognitive Reserve. More information can be found at www.longliveyourbrain.com. Marilyn has been a Speech-Language Pathologist since 1987.