How do the cognitive processes matter in the event-based preschoolers’ prospective memory?

Szpakiewicz, Elżbieta; Małgorzata Stępień‐Nycz · 2024 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1279144

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Summary

This study investigates the development of event-based prospective memory (PM) in preschoolers aged 2 to 6 years, examining how age, task focality, and cue salience influence performance. Grounded in the multiprocess theory of PM and the executive framework of PM development, the research aims to determine whether PM relies on automatic processes or controlled executive functions, and how specific cognitive abilities mediate age-related improvements. The authors hypothesized that focal tasks and salient cues would engage automatic retrieval, allowing younger children to perform well, whereas nonfocal tasks and nonsalient cues would require strategic monitoring and executive resources. The study involved 224 children recruited from kindergartens in southern Poland. Participants completed event-based PM tasks using a card-naming game where they had to interrupt the ongoing task to place specific cards in a box. The experimental design manipulated task focality (focal vs. nonfocal) and cue salience (salient vs. nonsalient). Additionally, individual differences in cognitive abilities were assessed, including fluid intelligence, retrospective memory, inhibitory control, working memory, and language ability. Reaction times during the ongoing task were analyzed to measure monitoring costs associated with different PM conditions. Results indicated that even 2-year-olds could successfully complete event-based PM tasks, with accuracy improving significantly with age, particularly between 3 and 4 years. Performance was superior in focal tasks compared to nonfocal tasks, and salient cues facilitated better performance than nonsalient cues, especially among younger children. PM performance correlated with various cognitive abilities, including fluid intelligence, retrospective memory, inhibitory control, working memory, and language skills. These correlations varied by age and task type. Crucially, cognitive abilities partially mediated the relationship between age and PM performance for both focal and nonfocal tasks. Reaction time analysis supported the multiprocess theory, showing that tasks with higher cognitive demands resulted in longer reaction times, indicating greater attentional costs. The findings confirm that while automatic processes support PM in focal tasks and with salient cues, controlled executive processes are essential for nonfocal tasks and nonsalient cues. The study demonstrates that age-related improvements in PM are driven by the development of underlying cognitive abilities, particularly executive functions. This supports the executive framework of PM development, suggesting that as children’s cognitive resources mature, their ability to manage the strategic monitoring required for complex PM tasks improves. The results highlight the importance of considering task characteristics and individual cognitive profiles when understanding the early development of prospective memory.

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• prospective memory interruptions