Individual differences in event-based prospective memory

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gene A. Brewer ◽  
Justin B. Knight ◽  
Gregory J. Spillers ◽  
Nash Unsworth ◽  
Richard L. Marsh
2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavinia Cheie ◽  
Mircea Miclea ◽  
Laura Visu-Petra

Prospective memory (PM) refers to remembering to perform a previously planned action at the appropriate time or in the appropriate context. The present study investigated the effects of individual differences in age and trait anxiety on PM performance in 3–5- and 5–7-year-olds. Two types of PM measures were used: an event-based task, requiring ongoing activity interruption across two conditions (with/without memory aid), and an activity-based task, requiring PM action implementation after the main activity was finalized. On the event-based PM task, we found that: all children benefited from the external memory aid; the 5–7-year-old group outperformed the 3–5-year-olds; and higher levels of anxiety negatively affected only the younger age group. On the activity-based PM task, we found no significant age-group differences, while higher anxiety negatively predicted children’s PM performance. Findings support and extend the literature on early PM development, revealing the benefits of external cueing and the potential detrimental effects of anxiety.


2011 ◽  
Vol 219 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah E. Smith ◽  
Deborah Persyn ◽  
Patrick Butler

Prospective memory (PM) involves remembering to perform an action in the future. The current study applies a multinomial model to investigate the contribution of individual differences in personality, as well as individual differences in working memory (WM) span, to performance in an event-based PM task. The model includes a parameter P that measures the prospective component, or remembering that something is to be done. The model also includes a parameter M that measures the ability to discriminate between target and non-target events, part of the retrospective component of PM tasks. The model has been applied to investigate the effects of WM variability in just one prior study, but has not been used in previous investigations of personality and PM. WM span and the personality dimension of conscientiousness showed differences between the higher and lower groups in PM performance. Modeling results showed that individuals higher in conscientiousness had higher estimate of M relative to individuals lower on the conscientiousness dimension. Conscientiousness did not affect the P parameter. In contrast, individuals with higher WM span scores had higher estimates of P relative to individuals with lower span scores, but the two WM groups did not differ in terms of parameter M.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Charles Girardeau ◽  
Philippe Blondé ◽  
Dominique Makowski ◽  
Maria Abram ◽  
Pascale Piolino ◽  
...  

Objectives. Prospective memory (PM) consists of remembering to perform an action that was previously planned. The recovery and execution of these actions require attentional resources. Mindfulness, as a state or a dispositional trait, has been associated with better attentional abilities. In this study, we investigated the impact of mindfulness on PM. Methods. Eighty participants learned 15 cue-action associations. They were, then, asked to recall the actions at certain moments (time-based items) or places (event-based items) during a walk in a virtual town. Before the PM task, participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness or mind-wandering (control condition) session. Dispositional mindfulness was measured via the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Results. We found no difference between the two groups in the PM scores. Nevertheless, the natural tendency to describe one's own sensations (the Describing facet of the FFMQ) predicted time-based performance in both groups. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this study is the first to explore the link between mindfulness and PM. We did not report any effect of a short mindfulness session, compared to mind-wandering, on PM. We discuss different hypotheses to explain this finding. Our main observation is a positive link between the Describing facet and time-based PM performances. We propose that this link could be due to the common association of this mindfulness facets and PM with attentional and interoceptive abilities. Additional studies are needed to explore this hypothesis.


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