Clean Room, Clear Mind: How Decluttering Your Workspace Can Improve Working Memory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35891/jip.v12i2.6531Keywords:
environmental effect, disorganize, organize, clutter, working memoryAbstract
Working memory (WM) merupakan sumber daya kognitif terbatas yang penting untuk menyelesaikan tugas kompleks, namun rentan terhadap gangguan eksternal. Dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, distraktor dari lingkungan dapat mengganggu kinerja kognitif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh organisasi ruang kerja—rapi (organized) versus berantakan (disorganized)—terhadap kinerja WM pada tugas aritmatika mental. Desain eksperimen antara-subjek dilakukan pada 75 mahasiswa (23 pria, 52 wanita; usia 19–23 tahun). Pengukuran WM menggunakan Modular Arithmetic Task yang terdiri dari dua blok. Data dianalisis menggunakan independent sample t-test untuk membandingkan kinerja kedua kelompok. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa partisipan di lingkungan berantakan memiliki performa WM lebih rendah, terutama pada tugas dengan beban kognitif sedang hingga tinggi, serta waktu reaksi lebih lambat dibanding partisipan di lingkungan rapi. Selain itu, partisipan di ruang rapi melaporkan lebih nyaman dan lebih rileks. Kami menyimpulkan bahwa lingkungan yang berantakan (disorganized) dapat memperburuk kinerja working memory karena menciptakan distraksi sehingga mengganggu kontrol pada kemampuan eksekutif. Implikasi dari temuan ini mencakup penerapan praktis dalam berbagai konteks, seperti pengaturan ruang kerja, kelas, dan bahkan desain ruang publik, di mana organisasi fisik dapat digunakan sebagai intervensi yang sederhana namun efektif untuk meningkatkan performa kognitif.
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