The development of prospective memory in children: An executive framework

Mahy, Caitlin E. V.; Moses, Louis J.; Kliegel, Matthias · 2014 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2014.08.001

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Summary

This review paper addresses the developmental trajectory of prospective memory (PM) in children, defined as the ability to remember to carry out intended actions in the future. The authors argue that PM is critical for children’s daily functioning and independence, noting that failures in PM can negatively impact academic performance and social relationships. The primary research question concerns the mechanisms driving improvements in PM from early childhood through adolescence. The authors propose an executive functioning (EF) framework to organize existing literature, positing that advances in controlled executive processes—specifically working memory, inhibition, set-shifting, and monitoring—are the primary drivers of PM development. The paper synthesizes empirical studies and theoretical models, including the multiprocess model and the preparatory attentional and memory processes (PAM) model, to evaluate the role of EF in PM. The authors categorize the literature based on four task factors that influence executive demands: the nature of the intention (e.g., motivation and complexity), the length and content of the retention interval, the nature of the ongoing task, and the nature of the PM cue. The review examines how these factors interact with specific executive functions. For instance, working memory is identified as crucial for maintaining the intention during the delay interval, while inhibition is required to interrupt the ongoing task to execute the PM action. Set-shifting is necessary for switching between the ongoing task and the prospective action, and monitoring involves both internal checks of the intention and external detection of cues. Key findings indicate that PM performance improves significantly from age two to six, a period that coincides with rapid development in executive abilities. The review highlights that motivation significantly enhances PM performance in young children, reducing the executive resources required for task success. Furthermore, the authors note that while retrospective memory and metamemory contribute to PM, executive processes are the most consistent predictors of developmental change. The proposed model suggests that children’s PM performance is heavily dependent on their ability to manage executive demands; tasks with high executive requirements result in poorer performance, whereas individual differences in executive abilities predict success when demands are high. The significance of this work lies in its integration of disparate findings into a coherent theoretical framework that links PM development to the maturation of the prefrontal cortex and executive control systems. By delineating the specific roles of working memory, inhibition, shifting, and monitoring across different phases of a PM task, the authors provide a roadmap for future research. This framework helps explain why PM develops slowly and suggests that interventions targeting executive function may improve prospective remembering in children, thereby supporting their academic and social independence.

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• prospective memory interruptions