Prospective Memory for Virtual Cooking Tasks in Relation to Adaptive Functioning

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Prospective memory (PM) is crucial for maintaining independence in daily life.
• The correlation between virtual reality (VR) prospective memory assessments and real-world adaptive functioning is not fully understood.
• Existing VR measures may not accurately reflect everyday tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between a function-led VR prospective memory measure (VKP-PM) and adaptive functioning in older adults.
• To compare the VKP-PM's correlation with performance-based, self-reported, and informant-reported adaptive functioning measures.
• To assess the ecological validity of the VKP-PM in a clinical population.

Main Methods:

• 115 clinic-referred adults (mean age 70.1) completed the VKP-PM and adaptive functioning measures (IADLS, FAQ, ECOG, TFLS).
• Informant-reported measures were collected for a subset of participants.
• Multivariate general linear models adjusted for age, gender, depression (GDS), and VR comfort.

Main Results:

• Higher VKP-PM scores were significantly associated with better performance-based adaptive functioning (TFLS).
• Associations with self-reported adaptive functioning were weaker, with only IADLS showing significance.
• Informant-reported measures showed stronger convergence with VKP-PM than self-reported measures.

Conclusions:

• The VKP-PM demonstrates ecological veridicality, reliably assessing prospective memory relevant to adaptive functioning.
• Performance-based measures show stronger associations with VR prospective memory than self-reported measures.
• Affective factors (e.g., depression) and methodological choices influence self-perceived functioning, highlighting the need for multimodal assessment.