title: Tuned for the future: intentions are only accessible when a retrieval opportunity is near.
abstract: The intention-superiority effect describes faster reaction times for stimuli related to an intention than for more neutral material during the retention interval. Some authors have interpreted the effect in terms of a more persistent activation of intention-related material. However, typically participants are instructed to realize the intention immediately after completing the task in which reaction times are assessed (e.g., a recognition task) in order to yield the intention-superiority effect. Thus, the reaction-time task is also associated with a retrieval context. We tested whether the proximity of a retrieval opportunity affects the intention-superiority effect by manipulating whether or not a recognition task indicated a retrieval opportunity. We observed an intention-superiority effect only if the task itself was a meaningful cue for a near retrieval opportunity. This finding indicates that even short-term-delayed intentions flexibly become more or less accessible, depending on the proximity of a retrieval opportunity. We further demonstrated that the intention-superiority effect is not restricted to motor tasks, but is also found for monitoring tasks when the task realization has personally relevant consequences (replicating Schult & Steffens, Memory & Cognition, 39, 1487-1495, 2011).
authors.affiliation: Social Cognition and Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany, janette.schult@uni-jena.de.
authors.forename: Janette C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Schult
authors.forename: Melanie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Steffens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult