Development and validation of a novel Context-Based Prospective Memory Task among neurotypical adults

To address the paucity and potential of context-based prospective memory (PM) assessment tasks suitable to Indian ethnicity, the study aimed to develop a novel context-based PM task and determine its psychometric properties among neurotypical adults.

Rendered images in 2-D were extracted from a 3-D shopping mall, where PM and ongoing tasks were embedded within them to provide participants with a semi-immersive experience. The design and scoring of the novel task were constructed in alignment with the Memory for Intentions Screening Test. Fifty neurotypical adults in and around Mangaluru were recruited. The Memory of Intentions Test (MIST) and novel context-based PM task were administered.

The validity of the novel task was established with a Content Validity Index of 0.98. The intraclass correlation for the test-retest reliability of the novel context-based PM task was 0.92 (p<0.001) and the inter-rater reliability was 0.98 (p<0.001). The internal consistency of the six subscales was high (Cronbach's α= 0.86), and the Spearman-Brown coefficient indicated a strong split-half reliability of 0.87. Spearman's correlation showed that the trials exhibited strong connections to the dichotomic characteristics of the subscales to which they belonged. Further, McNemar's test suggested similar profiles of the participants for the MIST and novel task.

The results of the present study suggest that the novel context-based PM task offers good validity and reliability measures, providing valuable insight into the mechanisms of PM, and therefore, could be ideal for inclusion in a battery of cognitive assessments.