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Prospective memories in the wild: Predicting memory for intentions in natural environments
Jan Rummel1, Jean-Paul Snijder2, Lia Kvavilashvili3
1Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Hauptstrasse 47-51, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany. jan.rummel@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de.
Memory & Cognition
|December 20, 2022
Summary
Laboratory findings on prospective memory largely predict real-world intention fulfillment. Key factors include perceived importance, memory aids, delay, and conscientiousness, though some lab predictors are less relevant in daily life.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Prospective memory (PM) research often uses laboratory tasks for control.
- Everyday PM demands differ from lab tasks, questioning the generalizability of findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if factors predicting laboratory PM performance also predict real-world intention fulfillment.
- To identify key predictors of everyday prospective memory.
Main Methods:
- Combined diary and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods.
- Assessed real-world intention fulfillment and its relationship to known laboratory PM predictors.
Main Results:
- Laboratory predictors explained significant variance in real-world PM.
- Perceived intention importance, external memory aids, delay interval, and conscientiousness were strong predictors.
- Some lab predictors, like working memory, had less impact in naturalistic settings.
Conclusions:
- Laboratory findings on prospective memory have considerable real-world relevance.
- Specific factors like intention importance and conscientiousness are crucial for everyday memory.
- Additional factors influencing real-world PM require further investigation.
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