Poorer event-based compared to time-based prospective memory in a computerized household chores task

Remembering to carry out deferred tasks in the future is referred to as Prospective Memory (PM). In everyday life, PM can often require switching attention between environmental stimuli, but traditional laboratory PM tasks do not necessarily capture this task element. The aim of the current study was to compare event- and time-based PM in a House PM task, designed to capture this component of PM by requiring individuals to remember to complete multiple housework tasks. Participants completed the House PM task and the Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST). In Experiment 1, participants were undergraduate students or individuals from the local community. The purpose of Experiment 2 was to replicate the outcomes of Experiment 1 and to test for generalizability to a sub-sample of older adults. Across two experiments, we replicated prior findings in the literature of poorer time- compared to event-based PM accuracy on the MIST. In contrast, in both experiments, time-based PM accuracy was better than event-based PM accuracy in the House PM task. In the MIST, event-based PM cues are directly presented within ongoing task activity and are thus in the focus of attention. In contrast, in House PM, individuals need to remember to periodically switch attention between household rooms to detect event-based cues that are perceptually peripheral to ongoing task activity. These outcomes are important because PM demands in everyday life and work settings can require individuals to not only remember to perform a deferred task, but also to periodically remember to switch attention.