Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Episodic prospective memory (ProM) is the ability that allows us to make plans and to recollect them later at the right time or place. In contrast, retrospective memory (RetM) is the ability that allows us to recollect specific prior experiences or events. For example, if we make a plan to stop for groceries at the market on the way home, episodic ProM is necessary to bring back to awareness this plan as we drive by the market, and then RetM is required to recollect which groceries we planned to buy. Episodic ProM is distinguished from vigilance/monitoring, another subdomain of ProM, where the plan remains in consciousness throughout the retention period. In a classical example of vigilance/monitoring, an air traffic controller maintains a plan to separate air planes in consciousness and constantly watches out for cues that the air planes are in danger of coming too close to each other and issues directives whenever the air planes may come too close to each other.      The long term goal of my research is to advance our understanding of processes involved in age-related changes in prospective memory. Leading theories have made different predictions about magnitude of age declines in prospective memory with some theories predicting no age-related declines (McDaniel & Einstein, 2000) whereas other theories predicting substantial age-related declines (Craik, 1983, 1986). Although overwhelming evidence shows age declines in all aspects of episodic ProM, it is unclear what is the pattern of age declines (e.g., linear, accelerated), whether the pattern depends on subdomain of ProM (episodic ProM vs. vigilance/monitoring), what proportion of age declines can be explained by age declines in fundamental cognitive processes, and which factors influence the size of age declines. The four short-term objectives are: (1) to examine pattern of age-differences in episodic ProM vs. vigilance/monitoring across adult lifespan; (2) to examine contribution of individual differences in fundamental cognitive process including processing speed, working memory, crystalized intelligence, fluid intelligence, and personality to age differences in episodic ProM vs. vigilance/monitoring; (3) to examine convergent and divergent validity of episodic ProM and vigilance/monitoring measures; and (4) to examine how encoding/retrieval interactions, encoding/planning activities, and motivation (using monetary incentives) influence age differences in episodic ProM.      The proposed research is important from both theoretical and applied perspectives. First, the research will advance theories of ProM by examining patterns of age declines and fundamental cognitive processes involved in ProM. Second, the research will also result in normative data on reliable and valid measures of episodic ProM, the data that are currently missing but are critical in clinical and applied settings for supporting older adults' independent living.