Definitionv1DF-010
Zeigarnik residue
the persistent sense that you had something important (a task-specific tension) without the actual content of the insight, which continues consuming working memory without delivering usable information
Why This Is a Definition
This definition precisely captures the specific phenomenon of Zeigarnik residue by distinguishing it from simple forgetting and identifying its particular cognitive characteristics (persistent sense without content, continued working memory consumption), establishing a clear boundary between this phenomenon and other related concepts like memory decay or attention.