A-181 Comparing Virtual Reality and Analog Prospective Memory Performance

Objective A virtual reality-based prospective memory task was designed to examine whether a virtual environment would allow for a deeper level of processing and aid prospective memory performance. The purpose of this study was to compare young adults’ performance on analog and virtual reality-based prospective memory tasks. Method Young adult college students (N = 40; ages 18–26) completed both analog and virtual reality prospective memory tasks in the Virtual Kitchen Protocol. Results A within-subjects analysis of variance found that participants performed better on the analog prospective memory task than in virtual reality, F(1,39) = 12.46, p = .001. Conclusions Results suggest that the virtual environment served as a source of distraction rather than a memory aid for young adults’ prospective memory ability. However, this added level of distraction may mimic everyday prospective memory settings better than traditional analog tasks, suggesting that virtual prospective memory tasks may be able to better assess everyday prospective memory abilities.

Initial Evidence for the Efficacy of an Everyday Memory and Metacognitive Intervention

Background and Objectives The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of an Everyday Memory and Metacognitive Intervention (EMMI) designed to improve everyday functioning of older adults. The EMMI emphasizes self-regulation as a behavioral approach to take priority over habitual behaviors that often impede everyday functioning. Research Design and Methods This study used a quasi-experimental design (intervention vs waitlist control) to test whether the EMMI improved several aspects of everyday cognition. Thirty-three EMMI participants (Mage = 70.24) were compared to 20 control participants (Mage = 71.70 years). The 2 groups were compared on everyday memory failures and successes, measures of well-being, subjective memory, and a prospective memory task. Results Participants who received the EMMI reported more memory successes and fewer memory failures over a 10-day measurement period postintervention. In addition, EMMI participants reported significantly higher life satisfaction and better subjective memory at posttest than the control group. Critically, the EMMI participants performed better on a laboratory contact prospective memory task. Discussion and Implications The results from this study suggest that the EMMI is a promising approach that has potential to improve everyday memory functioning and perhaps help extend functional independence. Future studies will include randomized controlled trials as well as electronic measurement of memory incidents.

Volition in Prospective Memory: evidence against differences in recalling free and fixed delayed intentions

Human volition can be defined as the extent to which actions are generated by internal states or as a response to externally dictated instructions. Whether actions are voluntary or not influence the cognitive process of action generation and perception of action. The influence of volition on deciding actions at a later point in time is a less explored dimension. A voluntary decision on future action requires that the intention must be stored in the prospective memory until the intended action is performed. It is unknown if the distinction between freely chosen actions and externally dictated actions has a cognitive relevance for delayed intentions. In the present study, we compare the difference between voluntarily formed intentions and intentions fixed by external instructions in a prospective memory task. In the task, participants either freely chose a cue or were given a fixed cue by the task instructions which they had to store in memory and recalled when the cue was encountered during an ongoing filler task. We examined if there would be a difference between the free and fixed delayed intention on retrieval of the delayed intention by modelling the task performance and reaction time using a Bayesian hierarchical drift-diffusion model. We then compared if there were differences in diffusion rate, decision threshold, bias, and non-decision time between free and fixed intentions in the prospective memory task, which would signify that free and fixed delayed intentions differentially engage prospective memory. Comparison of the estimated model parameters for the free and fixed intentions showed evidence against differences between free and fixed conditions in the prospective memory task. The results suggest that once the intention is encoded in memory, it no longer makes a cognitive difference at retrieval if it was initially formed freely or was fixed.