Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M4815

Post-Completion Error

Post-Completion Error
Learn & MetacognitionmediumCognitive Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-11

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Identified by the human factors researchers Michael Byrne and Susan Bovair, a post-completion error occurs when a person omits the steps that follow the main goal of a task, such as retrieving a card after withdrawing cash. Once the primary goal is satisfied, the cognitive resources devoted to the task are released, and the remaining subtasks lose their support in working memory. The error is more common under divided attention and time pressure. Key qualification: it is a systematic property of goal-directed cognition rather than a lapse of diligence or intelligence.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Add a checkpoint: place a mandatory confirmation step after the main goal has been reached. - Externalize the reminder: use an alarm or physical prompt instead of relying on memory. - Verify in reverse: re-check the environment for leftover items before leaving the task.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Goal-directed behavior is organized around achieving the primary objective, and once that objective is met the mental representation supporting the task is released. Subtasks that depend on that representation lose their cue and are skipped, even though the person knew about them moments earlier. The error is therefore predictable from task structure rather than from carelessness.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    doi.orghttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-24756-2_25ZH · Explicit
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