Prospective memory
[1] Prospective memory tasks are common in daily life and range from the relatively simple to extreme life-or-death situations.
Delayed-execute tasks more commonly occur in real life when circumstances of a situation prevent intermediate action once the cue has been perceived.
Research was performed by McDaniel et al. (2004), in which participants completed tasks involving various delays and interruptions between cues and responses.
[1] The first component of this theory involves a monitoring process that begins when a person constructs an intention that is then maintained until it is performed.
[13] These elements are used to differentiate between the wanted prospective memory intention and unwanted thoughts, in an attempt to keep focus on the goal and not the other options surrounding it.
Research conducted by McDaniel et al. (1998) attempted to prove that prospective memory performance is better on focused tasks as opposed to those where attention is split.
The results were consistent with the PAM theory, showing that participants' prospective memory performance was better with full attention.
[14] However, there is a lot of scepticism that the rather complex mechanisms of the PAM theory are required for all, sometimes mundane, prospective memory tasks.
Further research conducted by Einstein and McDaniel in 1990, found that subjects during prospective memory tasks reported that their intention often "popped" into mind, instead of being constantly monitored and consciously maintained.
Later when the target cue occurs, the automatic associative-memory system triggers the retrieval of the intended action and brings it back into conscious awareness.
[17] Therefore, as long as the target cue occurs, the association previously made will initiate the retrieval of the intended action, regardless of whether the intention is in consciousness.
Further research has found that although many aspects of prospective memory tasks are automatic, they do involve a small amount of processing.
[19] Even though some of the participants did not engage in active monitoring, they showed nearly the same rate of success on the task, demonstrating the use of multiple processes for prospective memory performance.
[22][23][24] During these procedures, sites of brain activation include the prefrontal cortex, specifically the right dorsolateral, ventrolateral, and medial regions, as well as the median frontal lobe.
[25] Cheng et al. (2008)[25] had participants with lesions in the prefrontal cortex perform event-based and time-based prospective memory tasks.
[27] Studies using PET have shown that the parietal lobe is activated when participants engage in prospective memory tasks involving visual information such as remembering a series of numbers.
[20] Harrington et al. (1998) found that neural areas ranging from the inferior parietal cortex to the frontal gyri are involved in temporal monitoring during time-based prospective memory tasks.
Keeping track of information over time is important for prospective memory, remembering intentions to perform in the future.
Furthermore, these tasks can be performed while experimenters use PET, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or MEG to monitor brain activation.
Combining different assessments can confirm or deny experimental findings, making sure that conclusions about prospective memory are accurate.
Technological assessments were created in order to more appropriately evaluate prospective memory by combining real life intentions with experimental control.
[68] In a study by Kliegel et al. (2008),[69] it was shown that motivational state affected performance in two age groups (three-year-olds and five-year-olds) completing the same prospective memory task.
There is a complicated relationship between prospective memory and time management skills which include making lists, scheduling activities, and avoiding interruptions.
Studies have not identified distinct cause and effect relationships between prospective memory and time management, but many consistent correlations have been observed.
Aviation controllers are often occupied with multiple tasks at the same time, and hazardous effects can occur when prospective memory fails.
A study performed by Matter and Meier (2008)[75] showed that women who self-reported higher prospective memory ability were more satisfied with oral contraceptive use and experienced lower stress levels.
Prospective memory has been implicated in the steering cognition model of how children coordinate their attention and response to learning tasks in school.
