Age-related differences in everyday prospective memory tasks: The role of planning and personal importance

Previous research has shown that older adults can have difficulty remembering to fulfil delayed intentions. In the present study, we explored whether age differences in prospective memory are affected when participants are permitted to set reminders to help them remember. Furthermore, we examined whether metacognition can influence the use of such strategies and help older adults compensate for age-related memory decline. In this pre- registered study (N = 88) we administered a computerised task requiring a sample of older (aged 65-84) and younger (aged 18-30) participants to remember delayed intentions for a brief period, manipulating the possibility of setting reminders to create an external cue. Performance of the older group was significantly poorer than the younger group. Moreover, older adults were overconfident in their memory abilities and did not fully compensate for impaired performance, even when strategic reminder-setting was permitted. These findings suggest that older adults possess limited metacognitive knowledge about their prospective memory limits and may not fully utilise cognitive offloading strategies to compensate for memory decline.

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make a telephone call once a day for 5 days when they the two paradigms. Specifically, the exact motoric re-associated the activity with other routine daily events quirements of many naturally occurring intentions (so-called "conjunction" cues) than when internal or (e.g., "buy birthday present") may not be sufficiently other external cues (e.g., diaries) were used. The exact well specified at encoding (or throughout the role of daily structure in the fulfilment of delayed retention interval), to allow the representation of these intention tasks in young and older adults remains to be activities to benefit from the kind of preparatory established, however, particularly as Maylor's study did processing that we have argued supports the not include a comparison of the use and effectiveness representation of more well-defined (laboratory-based) of conjunction cues between these two age groups. It actions. Indeed, not all naturally occurring intentions is interesting to note in this regard that an attempt has involve action-based responses. Some of the activities been made to enhance older adults' prospective memory generated by participants in the prospective and performance in a laboratory setting by using tasks that retrospective fluency tasks, for example, could be are intended to mimic the richness and structure of daily classified as involving primarily verbal responses life events (e.g., Rendell & Craik, 2000). Age-related (e.g., to have a conversation with someone or to pass declines have still been obtained under these conditions, on a message), while others represent purely thought-however, perhaps because the tasks are not readily able based or cognitive tasks (e.g., "choose holiday to capture or recreate the familiarity and personal destination"). The exact role of preparatory motoric relevance of the individuals' own routines. processing in successful prospective remembering remains to be established, however, as laboratory Intention-superiority effects for naturally studies of the ISE have typically used experimenter-occurring and laboratory activities initiated retrieval, which removes the need for participants to remember to carry out the actions for The current findings reveal a clear age-associated themselves when a designated retrieval context impairment in the ability to access naturally occurring arrives. intentions in a speeded fluency task undertaken during the retention interval between intention formation and Conclusion completion. This is in contrast to the findings of Freeman and Ellis (in press-b), which demonstrated an equivalent In summary, this study revealed a clear age-related de-advantage for to-be-enacted laboratory-based actions cline in the ability to access intention representations over actions not intended for enactment in young and prior to completion, with more intended activities failing healthy older adults. We have argued elsewhere (e.g., to come to mind in the prospective fluency task for older Freeman & Ellis, in press-a) that there may be similarities adults than for young adults. There was no apparent between the advantage for to-be-enacted laboratory-age difference in the inaccessibility (or inhibition) of based actions and the advantage that is frequently already completed intentions, however, with both age observed for verbally presented action words that have groups demonstrating evidence of an intention-been enacted during encoding (the subject-performed completion effect. Despite reduced intention task effect; Cohen, 1981). More specifically, the accessibility during the retention interval, older adults intention-superiority effect for simple motor actions reported having carried out more of their intended intended for enactment after a short delay might reflect activities during the week than did young adults. the operation of covert motoric or SPT-type encoding Interestingly, this appeared to be the case primarily for or rehearsal operations aimed at preparing these actions intentions for which no specific retrieval aids had been for imminent execution. These could include operations used. One possibility is that older adults may for setting the parameters of the action schema to be compensate for impaired intention accessibility by executed in terms of its duration, direction, and force. relying more on the ongoing sequence of daily routine The absence of an age difference in the accessibility of events to support intention retrieval and execution. This laboratory-based intentions mirrors the finding of is consistent with the observation of an age-related reduced age-related declines in memory for SPTs and increase in the temporal organization of activities pro-suggests that covert motoric processing may be duced in the prospective fluency task. In line with this, undertaken relatively automatically for this type of while there was a correlation between intention acces-material. sibility and intention completion in young adults, sug-The apparent discrepancy between age differences gesting a role for the intention-superiority effect in in the ISE for naturally occurring and experimental prospective memory performance in this population, intentions might therefore reflect a fundamental there was no evidence of this relationship among older difference in the nature of the activities involved in adults.

Prospective Memory: The Delayed Realization of Intentions ◽

10.4324/9780203506752-9 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 34-34

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Retention Interval ◽

Prospective Memory ◽

Age Difference ◽

Superiority Effect ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Age Related ◽

Fluency Task

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Prospective Memory Development Across the Lifespan

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000380 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 162-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sascha Zuber ◽

Matthias Kliegel

Keyword(s):

Prospective Memory ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Present Model ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Integrative Framework

Abstract. Prospective Memory (PM; i.e., the ability to remember to perform planned tasks) represents a key proxy of healthy aging, as it relates to older adults’ everyday functioning, autonomy, and personal well-being. The current review illustrates how PM performance develops across the lifespan and how multiple cognitive and non-cognitive factors influence this trajectory. Further, a new, integrative framework is presented, detailing how those processes interplay in retrieving and executing delayed intentions. Specifically, while most previous models have focused on memory processes, the present model focuses on the role of executive functioning in PM and its development across the lifespan. Finally, a practical outlook is presented, suggesting how the current knowledge can be applied in geriatrics and geropsychology to promote healthy aging by maintaining prospective abilities in the elderly.

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