Intraindividual reaction time variability predicts prospective memory failures in older adults.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Neuroscience of aging
• Gerontology

Background:

• Prospective memory is crucial for daily functioning.
• Older adults often experience more prospective memory failures.
• Intraindividual variability (IIV) in cognitive tasks may reflect underlying control processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between reaction time intraindividual variability (IIV) and prospective memory errors in older adults.
• To determine if IIV is a predictor of prospective memory failures in aging.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Zurich Longitudinal Study of Cognitive Aging.
• Included 336 older adults aged 66-81 years.
• Measured IIV from independent reaction time tasks and assessed prospective memory errors.

Main Results:

• Higher IIV in reaction time was significantly associated with a greater proportion of prospective memory errors.
• This relationship remained significant across different age ranges within the sample.
• The association was not moderated by the type of prospective memory cue.

Conclusions:

• Intraindividual variability in reaction time is a relevant correlate of prospective memory performance in older adults.
• Fluctuations in attentional and executive control, reflected by IIV, may underlie prospective memory failures.
• Measures of IIV show potential for identifying older individuals at higher risk for everyday memory lapses.