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Updated: May 31, 2026
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A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test
Published on: May 16, 2017
Smoking-related prospective memory deficits in a real-world task.
T M Heffernan1, T S O'Neill, M Moss
1Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research, Department of Psychology, School of Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK. tom.heffernan@northumbria.ac.uk
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|July 6, 2011
Summary
Current smokers exhibit impaired real-world prospective memory (PM) compared to never smokers and former smokers. This cognitive deficit, remembering future actions, is a significant consequence of persistent smoking.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Investigating the impact of smoking on prospective memory (PM).
- Comparing current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess differences in self-reported and real-world prospective memory across smoking groups.
- To determine if smoking is associated with specific prospective memory deficits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an existing groups design with 27 current smokers, 24 never smokers, and 18 former smokers.
- Measured prospective memory using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and Real World Prospective Memory Task (RWPMT).
- Controlled for covariates including age, gender, anxiety, depression, IQ, alcohol use, and retrospective memory.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in self-reported prospective memory between groups.
- Current smokers performed significantly worse on the objective Real World Prospective Memory Task (RWPMT) compared to never and former smokers.
Conclusions:
- Current smokers demonstrate impaired real-world prospective memory.
- These findings suggest that prospective memory deficits are a neuropsychological consequence of persistent smoking.
