Abstract

The ability to perform prospective memory tasks (remembering to perform an action in the future) is essential for maintaining an independent lifestyle. For instance, a person who can not remember to take medication or to turn off the stove will require daily assistance. Understanding how the processes underlying prospective memory performance might differ in younger and older adults is essential for preventing decline and for creating useful means of assistance to those individuals who are having difficulty with this everyday memory task. The proposed research uses mathematical modeling techniques test hypotheses, derived from a new theory of prospective memory, about how age differences in attention and memory interact to produce age differences in prospective memory performance. A mathematical model will be validated and used determine the cognitive processes underlying age differences in prospective memory. Four experiments will evaluate age differences in prospective memory accuracy and age differences in the impact of prospective memory tasks on on-going activities. In addition, the role of resource limitations in older adults? performance on prospective and retrospective tasks will be assessed using a measure of working memory capacity.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
5F32AG020021-02
Application #
6662469
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-4 (01))
Program Officer
Elias, Jeffrey W
Project Start
2002-09-30
Project End
2004-06-30
Budget Start
2002-09-30
Budget End
2004-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$46,192
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
078861598
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599

  Publications

Smith, Rebekah E; Hunt, R Reed; Gallagher, M Patrick (2008) The effect of study modality on false recognition. Mem Cognit 36:1439-49
Smith, Rebekah E; Hunt, R Reed; McVay, Jennifer C et al. (2007) The cost of event-based prospective memory: salient target events. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 33:734-46
Smith, Rebekah E; Bayen, Ute J (2005) The effects of working memory resource availability on prospective memory: a formal modeling approach. Exp Psychol 52:243-56
Smith, Rebekah E; Lozito, Jeffrey P; Bayen, Ute J (2005) Adult age differences in distinctive processing: the modality effect on false recall. Psychol Aging 20:486-92
Smith, Rebekah E; Bayen, Ute J (2004) A multinomial model of event-based prospective memory. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 30:756-77
Smith, Rebekah E (2003) The cost of remembering to remember in event-based prospective memory: investigating the capacity demands of delayed intention performance. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 29:347-61