Implementation Intentions Improve Prospective Memory and Inhibition Performances in Older Adults: The Role of Visualization

Burkard, Christina; Rochat, Lucien; Emmenegger, Joëlle; Van der Linden, Anne‐Claude Juillerat; Gold, Gabriel; Van der Linden, Martial · 2014 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1002/acp.3046

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Summary

This study investigates the efficacy of implementation intentions—a self-regulatory planning strategy involving "if-then" contingencies—in improving prospective memory and inhibition performance among older adults. While previous research established that implementation intentions enhance prospective memory in aging populations, their impact on inhibition had not been assessed. Furthermore, the study sought to identify moderators of this strategy’s effectiveness, specifically examining the roles of working memory, impulsivity, and everyday habits of verbalization and visualization. The authors aimed to determine whether the benefit of implementation intentions depends on individual cognitive traits or habitual use of mental imagery. The researchers employed a crossover design with 85 older adults (aged over 60) recruited from both the community and a memory clinic, ensuring a diverse range of cognitive functioning. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one received implementation intention instructions for the prospective memory task and standard instructions for the inhibition task, while the other group received the reverse. The prospective memory task required participants to write the day of the week on seven separate sheets of paper during a testing session. The inhibition task utilized a computerized stop-signal paradigm, measuring the stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) as an index of inhibition ability. Participants also completed assessments for working memory (letter-number sequencing), impulsivity (UPPS-P scale), and everyday verbalization and visualization habits (VerIm questionnaire). Regression analyses revealed that implementation intentions significantly improved performance in both prospective memory and inhibition tasks, but only for participants who reported high habits of visualization in daily life. For prospective memory, 43% of the experimental group succeeded compared to 13% of the control group, with the benefit driven primarily by participants with strong visualization habits. Similarly, in the inhibition task, implementation intentions reduced SSRT (indicating better inhibition) exclusively for those with high imagery habits; participants with low visualization habits showed no difference between experimental and control conditions. Crucially, the efficacy of implementation intentions was not moderated by working memory capacity, impulsivity levels, or verbalization habits. The findings demonstrate that implementation intentions are an effective strategy for enhancing both prospective memory and inhibition in older adults, provided the individuals habitually use visual strategies. This highlights visualization as a critical moderator for the success of this self-regulatory technique. The results suggest that the mechanism underlying implementation intentions may rely on reflexive-automatic processes facilitated by mental imagery, rather than controlled executive resources. Consequently, interventions aiming to improve goal-directed behaviors in aging populations should consider individual differences in imagery habits, potentially tailoring strategies to leverage visual planning for those who naturally employ such techniques.

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• prospective memory interruptions