Ovsiankina effect

The Ovsiankina Effect is the tendency to pick up an interrupted action again when it has still not been achieved.[1] It is named after its researcher, Maria Ovsiankina.

The effect states that an interrupted task, even without incentive, values as a "quasi-need". It creates intrusive thoughts, aimed at taking up the task again.

This can be explained by Kurt Lewin's Field Theory,[2] which points that an interrupted action is condition for a strained system. It also leads to a better remembering of the unfinished action over a vacant one (Zeigarnik effect[3]).

Further investigations of Lewin-pupils Kate Lissner and Wera Mahler showed that this trend does not come into play when the action is an easement of the system.[4]

See also

References

  1. Ovsiankina, Maria (1928). Die Wiederaufnahme unterbrochener Handlungen. Psychologische Forschung. pp. 302–379 via http://interruptions.net/literature/Ovsiankina-PF28.pdf.
  2. Lewin, Kurt (1936). Principles of topological psychology via https://archive.org/details/LEWINKurt.PrinciplesOfTopologicalPsychology_201605.
  3. "Die Experimente der Lewin-Gruppe zu Struktur und Dynamik von Persönlichkeit und psychologischer Umwelt". Phänomenal. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2016-08-07 via academia.edu.
  4. Teilband Motivation, Volition und Handlung, Göttingen: Hogrefe. http://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/handle/123456789/11191/95GollLiu_Wiederaufnahme.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y: Peter M. Gollwitzer und Christine Liu. 1995. pp. 209–240 (Wiederaufnahme) via Enzyklopädie der Psychologie.

External links

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