Episodic long-term memory (LTM) serves as a cornerstone for human cognition, underpinning our ability to learn from experiences and navigate the complexities of everyday life. Earlier work established attention as a critical component for learning and episodic LTM at the within-subject level (e.g., Anderson et al., 1998, Baddeley et al., 1984, Craik and Lockhart, 1972). Recent work from our lab (Miller and Unsworth, 2020, Miller and Unsworth, 2021, Unsworth and Miller, 2021) expanded on this notion by identifying two specific aspects of attention that are critical for understanding variation in learning and LTM abilities: intensity and consistency. Intensity refers to the strength of attention—the amount of attention (attentional effort) allocated to a given task. Consistency, on the other hand, involves the stability of attention—the regularity with which a person allocates their attention to the task.

The best learners tend to be individuals who (1) allocate a greater intensity of attention to the to-be-remembered (TBR) material and (2) are better able to prevent recurrent lapses of attention during learning, meaning their attention is more consistently allocated to studying the TBR material (Miller and Unsworth, 2020, Miller and Unsworth, 2021, Unsworth and Miller, 2021). As will be elaborated upon below, intensity and consistency are likely related but distinct facets of one’s ability to control attention that may be differentially accounted for by a variety of factors. The current study explores these notions by examining how various conative factors—constructs related to the will or desire to commit a purposeful action—may differentially impact attentional intensity and consistency, and by extension, learning and memory performance. We aim to provide a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between attention and motivation-related constructs, and how these factors contribute to individual differences in associative learning abilities.