Factor Structure of the Memory for Intentions Test (MIsT) in Samples of Older Adults and People with HIV Disease

Objective: The Memory for Intentions Test (MIsT) is a clinical measure of prospective memory that has strong evidence for convergent, discriminative, and ecological validity. This study evaluates the latent structure of the MIsT among two samples who may experience prospective memory deficits: older adults and people living with HIV disease. Participants and Methods: Study participants included 303 people with HIV disease (ages 18-67) and 267 community-dwelling older adults (ages 50-91). Confirmatory factor analyses of the MIsT were conducted separately in each sample. We evaluated a one-factor model, as well as three two-factor models with the MIsT items loading onto each factor based on cue type, delay interval, or response modality, respectively. Results: The one-factor model provided the best (and most parsimonious) fit to the data in both study samples. All two-factor models also demonstrated good fit statistics, although correlations between the two factors in each model were high and none of the two-factor models provided a significantly better fit than the one-factor model. Conclusions: Results provide support for the factor structure of the MIsT in older adults and people with HIV disease. A total score for the MIsT provides the most parsimonious solution, although available evidence and theory also support the use of subscales (e.g., cue type). Future studies of the MIsT would be useful to determine its psychometrics in different clinical populations.

How Do Gain and Loss Incentives Affect Memory for Intentions Across Adulthood?

Objectives Changes in motivational orientation across adulthood affect cognitive processes. The purpose of this research was to investigate if and how motivational incentives (gains or losses) affect prospective memory for intended actions in younger, middle-aged, and older adults. Methods The consequences of memory hits and misses and the framing of the memory tasks were experimentally manipulated between participants: In a gain-framing condition, participants accumulated rewards, dependent on the proportion of target events to which they responded accurately. In a loss-framing condition, participants received an initial endowment from which losses were deducted, dependent on the proportion of targets they missed. We measured memory accuracy, perceived task importance, and ongoing-task performance. Results Gains and losses had different effects on memory across age groups: Age × Motivational Valence interactions emerged across two studies. Older adults showed relatively better memory performance to avoid losses than to achieve gains. Moreover, higher age was associated with lower memory performance (Study 1) and slower but more accurate decisions in an ongoing activity (Study 2). Discussion The findings reveal that motivational incentives and the framing of consequences as gains or losses moderate the relation between age and memory performance. Older adults’ memory performance may benefit when messages encourage the avoidance of losses. This may also help to design age-tailored interventions in applied settings (e.g., health-related behavior).

Time-Based Prospective Memory Is Associated with Functional Performance in Persons with MS

Objective:Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) often report prospective memory (PM) failures that directly impact their everyday life. However, it is not known whether PM deficits confer an increased risk of poorer everyday functioning. The aims of this study were to: (1) compare time- (Time-PM) and event-based PM (Event-PM) performance between persons with MS and healthy controls (HCs), (2) examine the neuropsychological correlates of PM in MS, and (3) examine the relationship between PM and everyday functioning in MS.Method:A between-subjects design was used to examine 30 adults with MS and 30 community-dwelling HC. Participants were administered the Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST) to assess PM skills, the Actual Reality™ (AR) to assess everyday functioning, and a battery of cognitive tests.Results:The MS group performed significantly worse on Time-PM compared to HC but not on Event-PM tasks. While both Time-PM and Event-PM subscales were correlated with retrospective learning and memory, the MIST Time-PM subscale was correlated with executive functions. Significant correlations were observed between AR and the MIST Time-PM, but not Event-PM, subscales.Conclusions:The results highlight the role of executive functions on Time-PM. Furthermore, significant relationships with AR extend the ecological validity of the MIST to MS populations.